Review - One Final Turn

An Amazon Editors’ Pick for Best Mystery, Thriller & Suspense (June 2025)

“There’s a definite swoon factor from the love and espionage angle here―readers will be reminded of Hitchcock’s Notorious (1946) and Curtiz’s Casablanca as Electra uses all her skills to once again thwart the secret plans of the Nazis. A rip-roaring finale for a terrific series.”―Booklist (Starred Review)

“Satisfying . . . Weaver manages to tie up the series’ loose ends without shortchanging the core chase plot. Readers will miss Electra and her cohort, but Weaver has given them a worthy send-off.”―Publishers Weekly

I have been following this series from the beginning so you can check out the reviews of the previous books.  Perhaps the title gives it away, but this is the fifth and final installment in the Electra McDonnell series. While it isn't necessary to read the prior books in the series, it will make this book that much more meaningful to know Electra's growth and the dynamics between her and former boss Major Ramsey.

Find out how this final novel stands up, particularly as a closing to the series.

1)  A Peculiar Combination (click here) 

2) A Key to Deceit (click here) 

3) Playing it Safe (click here) 

4)  Locked in Pursuit (click here) 

Guest post 2021 (click here) 

Author: Ashley Weaver

Copyright: June 2025 (Minotaur Books) 304 pgs

Series: 5th in Electra McDonnell Mysteries

Sensuality: mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Historical espionage, historical suspense

Main Character: Ellie McDonnell, former safe-cracker now a spy for Britain

Setting: 1940s  (WWII) Lisbon, Portugal 

Obtained Through: Library find

Book Blurb: "Ellie McDonnell is about to embark on her most perilous mission yet: go to Lisbon, Portugal to save her beloved cousin Toby who has reportedly escaped from a German prisoner of war camp. Toby has been missing since the Battle of Dunkirk and Ellie had all but lost hope in ever seeing him again until Major Ramsey, the British military intelligence officer she had been working closely with over the past few months, shared the news he’d intercepted.

Nothing will stop Ellie from finding her cousin, not even the awkward experience of having to travel to an unknown country with Ramsey after he’d dismissed her for being untrustworthy just as she’d realized she had fallen in love with him. Under the supervision of Captain Archie Blandings, a charming intelligence officer based in Lisbon, Ellie meets with undercover operatives to track down where Toby might be hiding from the Nazis and whether they are too late to safely recover him, all the while fighting her feelings for Ramsey and the incessant burden of war looming around her at every turn."

My Thoughts:

Electra is sassy, brave, and determined to do whatever it takes to get Toby back. She is ensure and full of doubts working alongside Major Ramsey again.     

Lisbon-based Captain Archie Blandings is charming and enigmatic. He who recruited Ellie to assist in finding the escape route and protect it from the Germans.

Major Ramsey, a British intelligence officer who was her handler, is stern and appears to be cold. But still waters run deep in his case. 

Having been fired by Major Ramsay, Electra goes on a mission without him, hoping to find her missing cousin. Portugal is a hotbed of intrigue and Electra finds out quickly just how dangerous it is. Excellent plot. 

The main story has Ellie going to Lisbon to try to locate her cousin, Toby, who is missing in action but reportedly escaped a German POW camp.  Toby and a few fellow prisoners have possibly made their way through an escape route toward Lisbon.  The mission is to contact members of the resistance aiding escapees and get them to safety while also keeping the route a secret. 

Ramsey and Elle work frantically to track down and confirm rumors about the POWs while racing against the Germans. The Germans are intent on capturing the escapees to extract info about the route used to escape German territory and shut it down, no matter the human cost. 

This novel continues the secondary story line of Ellie trying to uncover the truth of her deceased parents' past. Her mother supposedly killed her father, but this novel reveals the truth of her father’s death.   

The story contains lots of action without overdoing it, lock-picking and clandestine meetings, and lightning fast thinking on their feet. some violence is a part of the story, descriptions are not graphic though.

The wrap-up has all the remaining threads neatly worked out, plus Ellie finds the truth about her parents in an unexpected and tense scene. Very well done there.  The final wrap-up was so satisfying and what, I dare say, most readers wanted. 

The mystery/mission itself was plausible and contains danger and a ticking clock. The action scenes are well done and riveting, with an exotic setting and solid plot. It is an overall truly good suspense-intrigue mystery. Great fun and most satisfying.

I ask the author, Ashley Weaver, to please continue writing this series as self published. There is more that Electra and Major Ramsey can do!  I am honestly bummed that this is the last book and I always looked forward to the next in the series.  

Here is an interview with the author about this final book in the series:

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Movie Review - The Long Kiss Goodnight

This is a high octane, action movie with a spy element. This was not from a book, solely written for movie. Although there was a book cobbled together from the movie that wasn't done well at all, so don't bother there.  Geena Davis was trying to get some traction for acting career and her husband was the director. See what I thought of this movie. 

What it's about:

Eight years ago Samantha Caine crawled out of a river in Pennsylvania, pregnant with amnesia. She now lives in small town Honesdale, PA with her daughter, Caitlin. Samantha is wholesome and has a job teaching in the local school. She has had private investigators trying to figure out who she was. The latest is Mitch Henessey (Samuel L. Jackson), a cheaper option. But, after a serious bump on her head, some old skills start to return along with scatter memories sending Samantha and Mitch on new leads. Unfortunately, this all attracts the attention of some deadly people from her past.

Taglines:

"...the most spectacular action scenes you've ever seen!"

"Eight years ago she lost her memory. Now, a detective must help her remember the past before it buries them both. What's forgotten is not always gone."

Cast:

Geena Davis as Samantha Caine (Charly)

Samuel L. Jackson as Mitch Henessey

Yvonne Zima as Caitlin

Tom Amandes as boyfriend Hal

David Morse as Luke 

Melina Kanakaredes as Trin

Director: Renny Harlin

Writer: Shane Black

Rated R  2 hours 1 minute

Strong language, alcohol & drug use, some bloody violent scenes

    

Rotten Tomatoes 67% Viewers 71% and critics reviews:

-- "...what makes the film soar—and it does, often—are the performances led by an absolutely commanding Davis. Jackson is no slouch either. This is one of his best" Frank J Avella-The Contending

-- "With fast-paced adventure, detonative mayhem, a decent body count, and an unflinching approach to mouthy dialogue, the project is a shining example of an overlooked actioner." Mike Massie-Gone With The Twins

-- "Despite its often basic action structure, there is enough substance in the script to intrigue those viewers who normally look down on movies loaded-up with blasts, blows and blood." Leigh Paatsch-Herald Sun (Australia)

-- "The Long Kiss Goodnight is the fall's best summer movie." David Ansen-Newsweek

-- "There's an excessive amount of excess -- a mind-numbing plurality of firearm battles, vehicular explosions and brutally frank sexual talk." Desson Thomson-Washington Post

-- "This is almost a poster child for mediocre mid-90s action cinema." Grant Watson-Fiction Machine

-- "The only saving graces are Davis's stripped-down, mean-as-a-wildcat portrayal of the Uzi-toting Charly, and Jackson's engagingly ineffectual turn." Geoff Andrew-Time Out

-- "With square-jawed grimaces and big guns, Geena Davis could be a convincing two-fisted bullet-spraying action hero -- if only she had a convincing movie in which to be one." Peter Stack-San Franciso Chronicle

-- "Here's the supersexy and action-charged Hollywood take on France's La Femme Nikita that Bridget Fonda couldn't pull off in her Girl Scoutish Point of No Return." Peter Travers-Rolling Stone

    

Noteworthy awards or rankings: 

-- Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA

1997 Nominee Saturn Award for Best Actress: Geena Davis

-- Image Awards (NAACP) 1997 Nominee Image Award:  Outstanding Lead Actor in a Motion Picture for Samuel L. Jackson

-- Young Artist Awards 1997 Nominee Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film - Actress Age Ten or Under for Yvonne Zima

    

Trivia (from IMDB):

-- During development, New Line Cinema considered turning the lead character into a male. Steven Seagal and Sylvester Stallone were considered as suitable choices, if the lead had gone that way.

-- At the time of its release, it was considered "by far New Line's biggest-budget production to date."

-- "Out in the cold" is an expression in intelligence circles for operatives that have gone rogue or missing. The physical, literal cold is used as a cinematic metaphor on multiple occasions in this film.

-- In the scene with Samantha and Mitch at the Dutch Cabins Motorcourt, there is a movie playing on the room TV. That movie is the classic noir film from 1973 titled "The Long Goodbye", starring Elliott Gould as the private detective Philip Marlowe.

-- The motel in Niagara Falls is actually Milford Manor, a former resort in Milford Bay, Muskoka, Ontario. As it was closed for good, it did not matter if it burned down, like Windemere House (which accidentally burned down during filming there.)

-- During an escape attempt, Geena Davis lights gas with a matchbook from Tops. Tops is a grocery store chain based in Buffalo, New York, but also has stores in Rochester, New York, and Pennsylvania.

-- When Samantha and Mitch go to the train station in New Jersey and Mitch goes into his trunk to get his gun, one of Mitch's case files in the car says "Marcia Brady".

-- The movie Argylle release 2024 shares the same premise of former spy with amnesia regains her memory to fight terrorists. Both films star Samuel L. Jackson. The female led roles of Geena Davis and Bryce Dallas Howard start the films with red hair and then reprise their former roles with bleach blonde short and straight hair with dark eye shadow.

-- On the The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (2014) on January 14, 2019, Samuel L. Jackson listed Mitch as his favorite role.

-- Samuel Jackson said in a GQ interview that he read the script and really wanted the role, but the studio said it was written as a white character. Jackson then met Geena and Renny at a Christmas party, and told them that he loved the scripted and wanted the role, and Renny said "You want to be in my film? Then you've got it.". And that was that.

-- Geena Davis and then-husband and director Renny Harlin checked how long she could hold her breath in their bathtub to prepare for the "water torture" scene. The three immersions lasted 51, 81 and 55 seconds of screen time.

    

My Thoughts:

Geena Davis goes from sweet suburban mom to foul-mouthed La Femme Nikita and Jason Bourne with shades of the Black Widow and the Dark Angel in the course of this movie. In fact La Femme Nikita, the Canadian television series, came out a year after this film was released. The original movie was done in 1990 but was a French release.  So you could say that Geena Davis' Charly paved the wave and set the bar for kick a$$ women action roles.  

This film has "over-the-top" action scenes, particularly for its time. The movie races along. Average camera work and fairly good script, but what really makes the movie is Geena Davis and Samuel L Jackson teamed together. Their dynamic is memorable.  Geena Davis' transformation is a testament to her acting because even in full blown "Charly" mode, she is still a mom and a little bit of Samantha can be seen peeking out.  

If you are okay with strong language, alcohol & drug use, some bloody violent scenes but still want some good acting, then this is a great option. This isn't Oscar material, but it is entertaining.

    

Movie Trailer:

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Review-The Kings Ransom

Janet Evanovich has written forty-seven bestsellers in her thirty-year career. In addition to her wildly popular Stephanie Plum novels, she has authored other bestselling series including: Recovery Agent series, Lizzy and Diesel series, Fox and O'Hare series, Knight and Moon series, the Alexandra Barnaby novels, and the graphic novel Troublemaker with her daughter.  This is the second novel in this new series and I had no problem picking up the storyline.

Author: Janet Evanovich

   

Copyright: Nov 2025 (Atria Books) 352 pgs

   

Series: 2nd in The Recovery Agent

   

Sensuality: Occasional swear words, some "f" bombs, adult topics

   

Mystery Sub-genre: Women Sleuth

   

Main Character: Gabriela Rose, a high-end recovery agent

  

Setting: Modern day, US, Italy, and Egypt

  

Obtained Through: Library find

  

Book Blurb: "Gabriela Rose, recovery agent extraordinaire, can find just about anything. Too bad she can’t seem to lose her gorgeous-but-infuriating ex-husband Rafer Jones. And now he needs her help. His cousin, Harley, is in trouble…big trouble.

As the president of a too-big-to-fail bank, he [Harley] invested an astronomical amount of money in insuring some of the world’s most priceless artifacts at the urging of his board. It seemed like a low-risk, high-reward business move, so he jumped in with both feet. But recently, these insured pieces started going missing and worse, there’s no paper trail of Harley being directed to make these risky investments. Unless the artwork can be recovered soon, it looks like Harley is going to be heading to jail as the fall guy for an ingenious crime.

Gabriela knows what she must do: travel around the world with Rafer to find the missing works of art, keep Harley out of jail, and save both his skin and his bank. Along the way, she’ll encounter corruption, threats, murder, mysterious dark forces behind a global conspiracy to destroy the world’s wealth, and a nefarious villain who will stop at nothing to bring the world to the brink of ruin."

My Thoughts:

Gabriela Rose is resourceful and a go-getter who has built her reputation around the world. She also has a fondness for the cartoon Scrooge McDuck. 

Her ex-husband, Rafer Jones, is handsome and knows how to get under her skin and tries to charm her, which she counters smoothly. Rafer's cousin, Harley, is handsome and charming but very naïve and wants wealth without working hard for it. 

"Jim" is the guide and driver in Egypt for the crew. I loved this character, he was the break-out gem. He always has a relative who can help them with whatever they need.

This novel was a touch of "Lara Croft" meets the 1979 movie "Scavenger Hunt."  A little clarification on what Gabriela does: recovery agencies or the agents are people who pursue the debt owed by customers and businesses for banks or financial institutions.  But in this series she's hired to seek lost treasures, stolen heirlooms, or missing assets of any kind. 

The blurb doesn't say what the items stolen were. There were several paintings but key were the Rosetta Stone, and a solid gold funeral casket from a lesser known half brother of King Tut. I chose to read this because both those items peeked my interest.

I enjoyed the vicarious thrill as I felt the heat of the Egyptian desert and Cairo's bustling atmosphere. Great sense of place in this writing. There is some humor with Rafer-Gabriela banter and oddball characters, but it is unevenly paced (some high action moments then some slow rather dull scenes).  

There is an exciting and dangerous thief confrontation, but I particularly like the wrap-up. Nicely done on both counts.

I would consider this a lighter mystery read with some action-adventure vibes. It's good to break out of a rut or to read something that isn't dark or serious.

Rating: Excellent - A fun read, I'll follow this series 

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Mystery Movie Review - The Highwaymen

 

Prior movies on Bonnie and Clyde had been made but the most notable was the 1967 movie, Bonny and Clyde, that starred a young Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty, and Gene Hackman. It was nominated for 10 Academy Awards including for Best Picture, winning Best Supporting Actress (for Estelle Parsons) and Best Cinematography.  Its success encouraged other filmmakers to go against the norms to present sex and violence in their films. The film's ending became famous as "one of the bloodiest death scenes in cinematic history." Of course we have long past the milestone.

That is why this film is different.  Yes there is some violence, but not like the 1967 production. This time it presents the efforts of the two real-life Texas Rangers who tracked them across state-lines and hunted them down to put an end to the reign of terror.

What it's about:

"The Highwaymen follows the untold story of the legendary detectives who brought down Bonnie and Clyde. When the full force of the FBI and the latest forensic technology aren't enough to capture the nation's most notorious criminals, two former Texas Rangers (Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson) must rely on their gut instincts and old school skills to get the job done." Netflix

Cast:

Kevin Costner as Frank Hamer

Woody Harrelson as Maney Gault

Kathy Bates as Governor Ma Ferguson

John Carroll Lynch as Lee Simmons

Kim Dickens as Gladys Hamer

William Sadler as Henry Barrow

Emily Brobst as Bonnie Parker

Edward Bossert as Clyde Barrow

Director John Lee Hancock

Writer John Fusco

Rated R / 2 hour 12 minutes / Netflix production

Rotten Tomatoes (58%) and Audience (75%):

-- "I get the inevitable complaints of “too slow” and “not enough action”. Yet I found myself loving it – the slow burn, the prickly Costner, the subtle moral questions it tosses out there."  Keith Garlington-Keith & the Movies

-- "The film is far too long but Costner and Harrelson make it worth your while what with their poignant, sincere performances." Charles Koplinkski-Real Talk with Chuck and Pam

-- "The famous outlaws Bonnie & Clyde hardly get a single close-up in this fascinating study of the rangers brought out of retirement to track them down." Adrian Martin-ScreenHub

-- "The story behind the demise of legendary Bonnie & Clyde at the well-armed hands of two ageing Texas Rangers gets a solid, unhurried treatment here...Director John Lee Hancock directs the drama with a hard nose and with no love for the celebrity criminals." Jim Schembri-3AW

-- "A lot of why this works is because of [Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson's] chemistry together." Christy Lemire-film Week (LAist)

-- "It isn't as dynamic or memorable as it could have been, but The Highwaymen still builds a compelling drama using a fascinating chapter from history combined with some solid acting and impressive camera work." Sameen Amer-The News International

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

-- 2019 Nominee Satellite Award won for Best Motion Picture Made for Television

-- SXSW Film Festival 2019

-- Nominee: 2019 Audience Award-- Headliners

-- Location Managers Guild International Awards (LMGI)

-- Nominee: 2019 Outstanding location in a period film

Trivia (from IMDB):

-- The quest for historical authenticity prompted director John Lee Hancock to recreate the ambush/death scene at the actual location where it had occurred Wednesday May 23, 1934, just outside Sailes, Louisiana, in the rural Bienville Parish.

-- Kathy Bates portrays Miriam "Ma" Ferguson, the first female governor of Texas. 

 -- In 1935, after [Texas Governor] Miriam "Ma" Ferguson left office, the Texas Rangers were reconstituted.

-- The real Frank Augustas Hamer was the most celebrated Texas Ranger of all time. He returned home to his wife Gladys and retirement and died on July 10, 1955.

-- When Bonnie Parker limps away from the car at the beginning of the film, this is historically accurate as she'd injured herself earlier in a car accident when Clyde drove their Ford V-8 off a bridge into a dry riverbed where the damaged battery leaked acid over Bonnie's left leg causing her third-degree burns. Her injuries were so severe she walked with a limp for the rest of her life.

-- The film was originally set up as a collaboration between Robert Redford and Paul Newman, but due to Newman's death in 2008, Redford left the project.

-- In 2013, Woody Harrelson was set to star alongside Liam Neeson, but Neeson left the project, and was replaced by Kevin Costner.

-- Kevin Costner was offered the role of Frank Hamer ten years earlier, but turned it down because he felt himself too young to play a grizzled, retired lawman called back into service. Having gotten older he felt the role was a better fit, though he still decided to gain 15 pounds to give himself a more over-the-hill appearance.

-- In 1994 Woody Harrelson and Juliette Lewis played an updated version of Bonnie and Clyde, Mickey and Mallory, in Natural Born Killers (1994).

-- The film's screenwriter John Fusco had the rare privilege of spending time with the late real-life Texas Ranger Frank Hamer's son (Frank Jr) as a means of structuring the story as historically accurate as possible.

-- At the time of the ambush there were $26,000 in reward pledges but when they tried to collect on this most of the pledges simply vanished. In the end, each of those involved received just $200. Hamer also kept most of the outlaws' guns for himself.

-- The events in the film take place before the United States federal investigative service, the Bureau of Investigation (BI or BOI), was renamed as the Federal Bureau of Investigation or FBI. (The Bureau is correctly named in dialogue although misidentified-it reads FBI-on an aircraft.) 

-- Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker's funerals were held on May 23, 1934. Barrow's funeral drew 15,000 people, Parker's drew 20,000. One of the attendees was Ellery Douglass Benton, father of writer-director Robert Benton who would be Oscar-nominated over 30 years later for his screenplay for Bonnie and Clyde (1967).

-- In the beginning Kathy Bates' character talks about digging up Wyatt Earp. Kevin Costner played Earp in Wyatt Earp (1994). At the time this film is set (1934), Earp had only been dead for about 5 years. The real Frank Hamer was born 3 years after the infamous gunfight at the OK Corral and was 36 years younger than Earp. Costner was born the same year that Hamer died (1955).

My Thoughts:

Kevin Costner, Woody Harrelson, and Kathy Bates give great performances. I have seen the previous 1967 movie (Bonny and Clyde with Faye Dunaway, Warren Beatty, and Gene Hackman) and it romanticized the two cold blooded murderers to a degree. 

This is the unglamorous story of the two real-life retired Texas Rangers (Frank Augustas Hamer and Maney Gault) brought back into service who raced across the country trying to catch the pair. I loved learning about these men whose names should be more famous than Bonnie and Clyde.  Most of the police let Bonnie and Clyde slip through their grasp, perhaps afraid they would be murdered like so many other cops the pair slaughtered. 

I appreciate a movie on the topic that doesn't glamorize vicious criminals nor sensationalize the murders. Those aspects are presented for what they were and how Bonnie and Clyde had no conscious.

I appreciate the real life complication of Texas Governor Miriam "Ma" Ferguson being brought into the light, as she was crooked, spiteful, and dangerous in her own right. She disbanded the Texas Rangers, but when she left office they were reformed. This movie immortalizes the truth about her in regards to Hammer and Gault.

The movie shows the experience of these older Rangers makes more headway than the young agents using other newer methods. I always appreciate movies that show older folks are still useful and needed. 

They bring to the forefront that the outlaws had superior weapons compared to law enforcement chasing them. These two old-timers knew they had to change that fact if they had any chance.

I do believe the movie could have been cut about 15-20 minutes to speed it up and it would be better for it. But with that said I think it is well and truly worth it to watch the entire movie. It isn't a thriller but a historical police procedural, and police work can be less glamorous and there isn't instant results. 

After the movie I thought long and hard on how so many common law-abiding people were cheering and rooting for this horrible pair. This was a thought-provoking movie on a few issues.

The "R" rating is because of the violence and some bloody images, so keep that in mind. If the rating, some violence, and some bloody images scattered throughout don't bother you, then give this movie and chance.  I recommend.

Movie Trailer:

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Review - 1st to Die

James Patterson is well known whether you read his books or not. He writes multiple books every year by collaborating with other authors. Thus, he is one of the best paid authors around. Reportedly his books often account for one in 17 hardcover books sold in the U.S. and has sold over 400 million copies worldwide as of 2022. He holds the Guinness World Record for the most #1 New York Times bestsellers by a single author. Several of his books have either become movies, television shows, and even video games. 

Patterson has been called the "world’s best-selling author and a publishing phenomenon."  He has received the Edgar Award, the National Book Foundation's Literarian Award, and the National Humanities Medal.  But did you know he founded the ReadKiddoRead website to encourage children's reading?  He also donated over $1.75 million to U.S. public schools, $1 million to independent bookstores in 2015 alone, and provided thousands of grants to school libraries and independent bookstores. 

This particular series is now up to its twenty-sixth book, but I'm starting with the first in the series here.  I haven't read any books in this series before, so let's see how I like it.

Author: James Patterson

Copyright: March 2001 (Little Brown & Co.) 488 pgs

Series: 1st in Women's Murder Club series

Sensuality: Some violence with clinical descriptions mostly, swearing, and adult topics and situations.  PG-18

Mystery Sub-genre: Police Procedural, police thriller

Main Character: Inspector Lindsey Boxer of the Homicide Squad

Setting: Modern day San Francisco, California

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "Each one holds a piece of the puzzle: Lindsay Boxer is a homicide inspector in the San Francisco Police Department, Claire Washburn is a medical examiner, Jill Bernhardt is an assistant D.A., and Cindy Thomas just started working the crime desk of the San Francisco Chronicle.

But the usual procedures aren't bringing them any closer to stopping the killings. So these women form a Women's Murder Club to collaborate outside the box and pursue the case by sidestepping their bosses and giving each other a hand.

The four women develop intense bonds as they pursue a killer whose crimes have stunned an entire city. Working together, they track down the most terrifying and unexpected killer they have ever encountered—before a shocking conclusion in which everything they knew turns out to be devastatingly wrong."

My Thoughts:

Lindsey Boxer is headstrong and determined, she isn't immediately likeable but she did grow on me as I learned more about her.  Each of the others in the club, Jill, Claire, and Cindy, are brought into the group by Lindsey. Her closest friend is Claire, the ME, and that was natural, but Cindy being a reporter that police usually avoid is a strange pick, and Jill being the Assist. DA wasn't an obvious choice either but it all works and they are becoming friends primarily. Lindsey needs a support group and so do each of these career driven ladies.

San Francisco is a big city as well as a busy tourist spot which is key to the story.  The wedding industry has become a bemouth the last few decades and this plot utilizes that as the central theme for a serial killer to target people in a large city full of local or destination weddings. It makes the murders shocking and Lindsey reacts emotionally to them.

The tension builds throughout the story. I felt the book moved along between the investigation, more murders, and Lindsey's personal life. In between all of that is the gradual formation of the Women's Murder Club. The concept of collaborating the investigation among police, ME, DA, and press is great. Wish that was the makeup of police task forces that get created today.

The climax was nail-biting tense and heartbreaking. My heart was pounding just reading it. What an emotional and adrenaline inducing killer confrontation.

The one thing I wish were improved upon is a man trying to write from a woman's perspective--it didn't work in some instances. There were little references where a woman would never have inner dialog like that.  I don't believe it was intentional, but it shows a male's viewpoint in several places (a woman's "fragile courage" is used- you would never say a man's fragile courage. That is a man's perspective). Just understand this handicap when reading it.

This is a gripping and entertaining novel with twists and turns, I appreciate the four women in the club are all strong female characters which we need more of in novels. I want to note how the human element is recognized in the story, not relegated to an afterthought or footnote. This is a strong genre book delivering a memorable police thriller.  I immediately started on the second in the series.

If you haven't read this book before and don't mind grittier mysteries, this could be for you.  If you have read it before, please leave your thoughts on it in the comments -- I would love to hear from you.

Rating: Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

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Here is a great interview with James Patterson, well worth watching.

Suspense-heist Movie Review - Flawless

 This 2008 British film isn't flashy or have breathtaking thrills which so many think is required today. It's one of those movies that you either like or hate.  Many critics hated it while others weren't so critical or even liked it.  I like it and yes, even own it. Find out more below.

What it's about:  "London, 1960. Laura Quinn (Demi Moore) is the lone female executive at London Diamond Corporation. She is frustrated as her talents are rarely acknowledged and her less-experienced male co-workers are promoted ahead of her. She is shocked, but intrigued, when the mild-mannered night janitor, Mr. Hobbs (Michael Caine), approaches her with a daring but simple plan to steal a handful of diamonds from the vault. Laura agrees to help, but she is soon in over her head. And it is not long before insurance investigator Mr. Finch has his eyes on her."

Taglines: "It took the heist of the century to settle the score" and "He had a scheme. She had a motive."

Cast:

• Demi Moore as Laura
• Michael Caine as Hobbs
• Lambert Wilson as Finch
• Nathaniel Parker as Ollie
• Shaughan Seymour as Eaton
• Nicholas Jones as Jameson
• David Barrass as Fenton
• Joss Ackland as MKA
• Director - Michael Radford
• Writer - Edward Anderson

Rated PG-13  1 hour 46 minutes

Rotten Tomatoes 56% and critics reviews:

"Yet for all the imperfections, Flawless is a film you find yourself rooting for. Heists involving a keen sense of history are pleasant to stumble across." Charlotte O'Sulivan - London Evening Standard

"It's Caine's old-timer who provides the acting sparkle. Flawless may not be a perfect gem, but thanks to Caine it's definitely not paste." Jason Best - Movie Talk

"There's little by way of thrills. Still, as a caper with a great cast and clever premise, Flawless works, despite its, um, flaws." Rosamund Witcher - Empire Magazine

"Ignore the dull framing device and this is a watchable period crime drama." Daniel Etherington - Film4

"Terrific performances elevate this extremely low-key heist thriller into something thoroughly intriguing. It may never crank up much excitement, but the 1960s vibe it generates is very cool." Rich Cline - Shadows on the Wall

"Demi Moore is excellent as the catalyst for the crime caper with a profoundly personal motive, something we don't discover until late in the film, and Michael Caine is wonderfully dry as the office cleaner with an agenda" Andrew L. Urban - Urban Cinefile

"May not quite live up to the daunting implication of its title, but as a solid piece of beautifully acted and precisely written filmmaking, you'll find nothing better." Ken Hanke - Mountain Xpress

"For about 100 of its 108 minutes, this film treats the viewer to a stylish, suspenseful roller coaster peppered with all manner of ugly, money-grubbing corporate types." Christy DeSmith - Minneapolis Star Tribune

"Retro London heist caper may not interest kids." James Rocchi - Common Sense Media

"The answers to its most intriguing puzzles disappoint, and the final motive provided for this near-perfect scheme can only be described as flawed." Sean O'Connell - Charlotte Weekly

"Fatuous and soulless." Kevin Maher - The Times (UK)

Trivia (from IMDB):

• Edward Anderson wrote the script with Sir Michael Caine in mind, and he was always his first choice for the part of Hobbs.
• The movie playing at the theater is The League of Gentlemen (1960), a much beloved heist movie.
• Sir Michael Caine's grandfather had a similar job to Hobbs.
• Hobbs is another name for the devil, and like the devil, Mr. Hobbs tempts Demi Moore to commit a sin.

My Thoughts:

If you like the pace of John leCarre movies, then this pace won't bother you. If you are used to fast paced thrillers that develop at the speed of light or Marvel movies, this definitely isn't for you. But if you enjoy a story that develops as it goes building some layers, then this could be your movie.

The story develops incrementally and there is a plot disconnect or two if you really churn over the details. But I personally found it an enjoyable movie to watch when I just want to loose myself in a movie and forget this world. It can be a respite in many ways. Michael Caine is always stellar and I thought Demi Moore was quite good in her role, too.  Some of the camera work could have been better and the ending wasn't as satisfying as I like, but it is good IMHO.

Movie Trailer:

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Review - A Dark and Deadly Journey

 This is another historical intrigue series that I have found and enjoy. Here are the prior books in the series and my reviews.

1) A Traitor in Whitehall (click here) 

2) Betrayal at Blackthorn Park (click here) 

Today I will review the third in this series.  Let's see how it stacked up below.

Author: Julia Kelly

Copyright: Sept 2025 (Minotaur) 300 pgs

Series: 3rd in Evelyne Redfern Mysteries

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Spy Intrigue

Main Characters: Evelyne Redfern, newbie agent

Setting: World War II era, Primarily set in Lisbon, Portugal

Obtained Through: Library

Book Blurb: "After being sidelined for a pesky gunshot wound, typist-turned-field agent Evelyne Redfern is ready for her next assignment with Britain’s secretive Special Investigations Unit. When a British Intelligence informant in Portugal mysteriously disappears just after hinting that he has vital information about German plans that could tip the balance of World War Two, Evelyne and her dashingly irksome partner, David Poole, are sent headed to Lisbon to find him.

Once they land, Evelyne and David aren't even able to leave the airport, before she discovers one of their fellow airplane passengers murdered and uncovers a diary with a clear link between the victim and their missing informant. With their mission in jeopardy before it can truly begin, Evelyne and David fight to keep their cover intact as they descend deeper into the shadows that surround Lisbon’s glittering collection of wealthy expats and dangerous spies. This case will test Evelyne and David’s training, charm, and wit—and their growing attraction for one another."  

My Thoughts:    

Evelyn is smart and pretty self sufficient. In this outing she returns to duty after a bullet wound has mostly healed.

Aunt Amelia is the only family Evelyn has in her life since her father travels the world and doesn't even check in on her. Aunt Amelia is strong willed yet tender with Evelyn.

Mr. Fletcher, the head of a secret department investigating crimes in the wartime intelligence branches (SIU-Special Investigations Unit), sends her to find the missing agent and asks Evelyn to contact her father as a secondary mission. He explains the second mission is off the books, to determine if her absentee father is hobnobbing with Nazis in neutral countries indicates he is a Nazi sympathizer or if he could become a British confidential informant against them. But this part of the mission she is alone, and if she gets caught he would deny he asked her to do this mission.

Mrs white, supervisor of all field agents, shows no compassion. She doesn't like Evelyn and shows it as she dings her for even the slightest move outside of protocol.

David Poole is her partner in investigations, more seasoned in the field, and a by-the-book guy. In this outing it seems they are closer... or are they? 

Lisbon is a fascinating backdrop for the story. Portugal is neutral in the war, so Lisbon is crammed full of spies trying to turn Portugal to ally with their side. Evelyn sees the glamorous gambling venues like Estoril Casino as well as the coffee shops and police stations.

The plot is fairly straight forward with Evelyn working two missions simultaneously, in a foreign country where there is no actual privacy and even British Embassy staff may be questionable in allegiances. The sense of isolation is taut and I found myself on edge.  Well done there.  

The tension remains high throughout and every chapter has another tidbit in either mission. Will the missing agent be found alive? Will she find her father? Will she share with David about her second mission?  Will they get out alive?  The climax is scary and exciting, nail-biting even. Excellent job.

The wrap up is usually just long enough to give a little closure to any remaining questions and subplots, but in this case there was one final but huge twist on the last couple of pages. I won't lie, it was like a punch in the gut. Wow.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend. 

Here are two short videos about spying in Lisbon:

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Mystery Movie Review - Double Jeopardy

 This 1999 movie is one where critics hated it and audiences mostly enjoyed or loved. The basic legal concept of Double Jeopardy used in the film (you can't be tried twice for the same crime) many people point out doesn't work as it does in the film and become indignant about it. This is fictitious, it isn't the real world. Now if this point is a deal breaker, don't watch it.  I have watched this several times, even own it on DVD (remember those).  So read on if you want to know more.

What it's about:

When Nick Parsons appears to be murdered by his adoring wife, Libby, she is tried and convicted as the killer. While in prison, she discovers he is alive and must have set her up. After six years in prison, Libby is paroled and is pursued by Travis Lehman (her parole officer) as she sets out to find her son and settle the score with not-dead-Nick.

Rated R (language, some violence).  1 hour 45 minutes

Cast:

Ashley Judd as Libby

Tommy Lee Jones as Travis

Bruce Greenwood as Nick

Annabeth Gish as Angie

Roma Maffia as  Margaret

Director Bruce Beresford

Producers Leonard Goldberg and Richard Luke Rothschild

Screenwriters David Weisberg and Douglas Cook

Rotten Tomatoes (28%) Audience (61%) and critics reviews:

"28 on rotten tomatoes just goes to show you the critics do not judge movies like the regular folk do. This is an excellent little thriller. Good storyline. Someone wrongly accused trying to fight the justice system without anybody's help." Audience Reviewer "C T"

"Who doesn't love a 90s female-fronted action thriller? Judd completely sells Libby's transformation in this wannabe The Fugitive sequel. While some of the politics of Lee Jones' character are icky, it's very satisfying seeing Greenwood get his comeuppance." Joe Lipsett-Anatomy of a Scream Podcast Network

"Sit back, relax, and marvel at the wonder that is Ashley Judd." Karen Kemmerle-Decider

"Double Jeopardy has all the legal savvy of the O.J. Simpson jury." Martin Scribbs- Low IQ Canadian

"Implausible and contrived...it's "The Fugitive," complete with Tommy Lee Jones in essentially the same role." John J Puccio-Movie Metropolis

"It cannot be art, but commercially and emotionally, it aims to satisfy, and does." David Elliott-San Diego Union-Tribune

Noteworthy awards or rankings:

• 2000 Winner Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actress - Suspense  Ashley Judd
• 2000 Nominee Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Suspense  Tommy Lee Jones
• 2000 Nominee Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor - Suspense Bruce Greenwood
• 2000 Nominee MTV Movie Award for Best Female Performance Ashley Judd

Trivia (from IMDB):

• Jodie Foster landed the role of Libby after Meg Ryan and Brooke Shields both declined, but was replaced by Ashley Judd when Foster became pregnant. Michelle Pfeiffer turned down the lead role in order to film the romantic comedy The Story of Us (1999), opposite Bruce Willis.

• Despite playing the main character and protagonist, Ashley Judd took second billing behind Tommy Lee Jones and even though Tommy Lee Jones does not appear on screen until over 33 minutes into it.  Tommy Lee Jones earned $10 million for appearing in the film. By comparison, Ashley Judd, who played the lead, was paid $1 million.

• According to director Bruce Beresford, Robert Benton did an uncredited ten-day rewrite shortly before production began.

• Greg Kinnear was offered the part of Nicholas Parsons, but passed.

• The portion of this film that is set in Evergreen, Colorado was filmed in Vancouver, BC.

• When Libby uses the pay phone in prison she is wearing her wedding ring. The ring would have been confiscated when she was first arrested.

• Ashley Judd and Roma Maffia also acted together in Kiss the Girls (1997).

• Ashley Judd and Tommy Lee Jones appeared with Val Kilmer in different films in the same year: Judd in Heat (1995) and Jones in Batman Forever (1995).

• Tommy Lee Jones and Bruce Greenwood would collaborate again in Rules of Engagement (2000).

• Bruce Greenwood played Batman in the animated movies Batman: Death in the Family (2020), Batman: Under the Red Hood (2010), and Batman: Gotham by Gaslight (2018). Tommy Lee Jones also played in a Batman movie: Batman Forever (1995).

• Bruce Greenwood also played Captain Christopher Pike in J.J. Abrams' movies Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013).

My Thoughts:

First, let me just say that "there is nothing new under the sun." By which I mean that any stripped down plot has been done before and is what every single author or screenwriter faces today.  This movie has been discounted because they claim it's essentially The Fugitive. It is how you make it different and make it your own that matters. Double Jeopardy is different than The Fugitive in that Libby is fighting to get her son back and get back at her husband for setting her up, where The Fugitive is trying to find his wife's killer and clear his name thereby also getting his reputation and career back. Additionally, The Fugitive is rushing to find who the murderer really was and why, whereas in Double Jeopardy it becomes clear that nobody was murdered. Completely different emotional motivations at play and dinging this movie because of a somewhat similar concept is ludicrous. 

Any argument regarding whether or not the whole double jeopardy law works in the way that it was portrayed in the film is ridiculous. Think about it this way: perhaps there should be a one line disclaimer in bold print at the beginning of the movie along the lines of "this fictitious story does not claim to provide anyone legal advice."  That is right up there with the warning on fast food paper coffee cups to be careful because the coffee is hot or don't take a medicine if you are allergic to it! No Sh_t Sherlock. 

Double Jeopardy filming has gorgeous scenery with lush photography and solid editing. The music sets the atmosphere nicely, and the script is well paced with only a few brief slower parts. Tommy Lee Jones and especially Ashley Judd deliver solid and moving lead performances.  I will give a caveat that there are some logistics that are improbable in the storyline, but all fiction relies on a certain amount of suspending ones disbelief and this wasn't overly outlandish, so I was good with it.  Some will find it exciting while others may find it an average suspense tale. I find it entertaining and good for a popcorn night. This is a solid movie so settle in, route for Ashley Judd, and enjoy the ride without over thinking it all.

If you have watched it before, perhaps it would be a good one to re-watch.  Let me know your thoughts on this movie in the comments.  Also, tell me if there is a mystery movie you would like me to review in the comments. I don't do horror, gory, or overly violent movies so give me some suggestions.

Movie Trailer:

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Review - Booking For Trouble

  Jenn Mickinlay, the author of Library Lover's Mysteries, Cupcake Mysteries, Good Bye Girl's Mysteries (as Josie Belle), Decoupage Mysteries (as Lucy Lawrence), and London Hat Shop Mysteries.

This is my first book in this series and I had no trouble picking up and understanding the pertinent backstory.

      

Guest Post (2019) plus review of 11th Cupcake Bakery Mystery  (click here) 

Guest Post 2017 (click here) 

5th in Hat Shop Mysteries (click here)

This book is releasing Feb 24, 2026.

Author: Jenn McKinlay

Copyright: Feb 2026 (Berkley) 304 pgs

Series: 16th in Library Lover's Mystery

Sensuality: Mild

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy Mystery, Amateur Sleuth

Main Character: Lindsey Norris Sullivan, Library Director

Setting: Modern Day, Briar Creek, Connecticut & surrounding islands

Obtained Through: Publisher/Netgalley for honest review

Book Blurb: "Just off the shores of the coastal Connecticut town of Briar Creek are two small islands, which library director Lindsey Norris visits with her new book-boat, inspired by the bookmobiles she’s seen traveling across the country. Nothing, not even the infamous feud between the families who own the Split Islands, can stop Lindsey from getting books into the hands of readers. But when Lindsey and her boat captain husband, Mike Sullivan, discover a body on the rocky outcropping of one of the islands, Lindsey’s new library venture quickly becomes a murder investigation.

At news of the crime, hostilities between the two families are reignited. Long buried secrets are revealed, tensions spark, and suspects abound. As Lindsey navigates treacherous waters (both literal and metaphorical), she must use her research skills and community ties to solve the murder and bring peace to the islands before her book-boat dreams are sunk."

My Thoughts:

Lindsey is the 20-something year old director at the Briar Creek Library. She makes up for her lack of age and experience with a passion for libraries and the community. She is enjoyable and I found myself routing for her.  Mike Sullivan is her husband who runs a water-taxi and boat tour service for people and becomes the book-boat captain for once a week runs. I like Mike who is a warm and caring character.

Beth, a library school classmate of Lindsey's who is the children's librarian and now good friend plus Mrs. Cole are stalwart employees.  Then there is the Crafternoon group that pitch in to run down information during sleuthing.  They weren't as present in the story as I expected.

The isolation of being on a grouping of islands, called Thumb Islands, while a murderer is striking really drives home how remote the islands are. 

The plot is Lyndsey doesn't believe the murder was due to a decade old feud between two families living on "Split Island."  At first it seems that the feud resulted in blood shed, but there are too many questions surrounding it for Lyndsey.

The pacing was consistent with the added subplot of a city Counselman wanting to close the library completely. Lyndsey's fighting to keep the library funded while looking into the murder.

The killer reveal wasn't as suspenseful or dramatic as I love, but it was a good and conclusion with a twist that was well done.

If I could change anything it would be a little more depth to Lyndsey's character because sometimes it felt like she was a set-piece being moved around when she is the main  character. 

Rating:  Good - A fun enjoyable cozy read

Have you read any of the 16 books in this series? If so, what did you think of them? Please share in the comments.

    Here is a short video about an a series of islands in Connecticut that sounds exactly like the "Thumb Islands" in this book.  Check it out, it's quite interesting.

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