Movie Review - Reptile

Director: Grant Singer
Genre: Crime/ Mystery/ Drama
Runtime: 134 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Benicio Del Toro, Alicia Silverstone, Justin Timberlake, Eric Bogosian, Michael Pitt
 
Description: Tom Nicols (Benicio Del Toro) is a hardened New England detective, unflinching in his pursuit of a case where nothing is as it seems and it begins to dismantle the illusions of his own life.

Review: In every scene of “Reptile”, a subcutaneous tension brews between the characters, all linked in one mystery: the question of who killed the victim Summer with thirty-three stab wounds. Seasoned detective Tom Nichols shuffles between the various suspects for more than two hours, making only slow progress.

Summer’s gruesome death gives Tom, played excellently by Benicio Del Toro, a second chance to prove himself as a detective. After being accused of corruption in Philadelphia, he has secured a spot in the Maine police ranks through his wife’s connections, where he is warmly welcomed by the local community of cops. It is now up to him and his partner Dan Cleary to work down the short but tricky list of suspects. Is it Will Grady, Summer’s partner in business and life? The ex-husband? Or the ‘village idiot’ Eli Philips?

With “Reptile”, director Grant Singer makes the transition from music videos to feature films, with his technical ingenuity in style and atmosphere evident. Like a monotonous hum a threat always lingers in the background of the film. The editing binds all the scenes together tightly and manage to steer the viewer into weighing the suspects. Singer’s  style is very reminiscent of that of David Fincher.

“Reptile” is a slow burn, so if that’s not your thing, you can pass on this. There ate many storyline woven into this film and few developments. The investigation continues to languish and the film shifts its attention to other matters. The depiction of friendship and grief within the U.S. police force give the characters a human edge that is missing from many similar films. But with too many side paths and too little development in the plit, Singer’s signature brooding  atmosphere quickly loses its allure.

It is Benicio Del Toro in the lead role that manages to keep “Reptile” afloat throughout its long runtime. He plays the role of hardened cop subtly with little barking and hard biting. When towards the end of the film the investigation hits closer and closer to home, he hardly needs verbal play to show his inner conflict to the viewer. it is due to him that “Reptile” is more than an occasionally uninteresting puzzle to crack for the viewer, but rather a harrowing dilemma to endure for a human being.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Little Women

Title: Little Women
Series: -
Author: Louise May Alcott
 
Description: Grown-up Meg, tomboyish Jo, timid Beth, and precocious Amy. The four March sisters couldn’t be more different. But with their father away at war, and their mother working to support the family, they have to rely on one another. Whether they’re putting on a play, forming a secret society, or celebrating Christmas, there’s one thing they can’t help wondering: Will Father return home safely?
 
Review: “Little Women”, an all-time favorite of mine, and my second reread of this classic.
 
You recognize in the book much of author Louise May Alcott’s own social context of life. She grew up in America during times of slavery, but her family was against it. You can see this reflected in the book: the mother of the four March sisters is proud of her husband fighting in the war for civil rights. Alcott also thought the emancipation of women was important. The character of Jo is the biggest example of this. And some of the sisters struggle with their traditional roles. Do I get married or pursue my own career? A dilemma that was not very common for that time. A book everyone (especially women) should at least read once.
 
The family was once wealthy, but have almost lost all of their wealth by the beginning of the book. One sister fins this more difficult than the other, but you see all four of them are trying their best not to constantly desire more money or more stuff. There is already much awareness among the sisters that even rich people can be unhappy and that the most important thing is to have a good time together. And being grateful for what they do have.
 
“Little Women” is a favorite classic for a reason. It’s easy to read, heartwarming, has amazingly loveable characters and is very relatable, even for a book that was first published in 1868. It was very ahead of its time when it comes to female emancipation.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Movie Review - A Haunting in Venice

Director: Kenneth Branagh
Genre: Crime/ Mystery/ Drama/ Horror/ Thriller
Runtime: 103 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Kenneth Branagh, Michelle Yeoh, Tina Fey, Jamie Dornan, Kelly Riley, Jude Hill
 
Description: In post-World War II Venice, Hercule Poirot (Kenneth Branagh), now retired and living in his own exile, reluctantly attends a séance. But when on of the guests is murdered, it is up to the former detective to once again uncover the killer.

Review: Hercule Poirot is invited to attend a séance and use hi unique skill to debunk the paranormal.

Kenneth Branagh shines for the third time as detective Hercule Poirot and once again takes on the role of director as well. After “Murder on the Orient Express”(2017) and “Death on the Nile” (2022), “A Haunting in Venice” takes a different approach. Crime, mystery and horror are merged to give this case a unique twist. Based on the book “Halloween Party” by Agatha Christie, one that fans call one of her more underrated murder mysteries.

The film succeeds well in putting you down alongside Poirot as a spectator of events. Like the detective, you try to unravel the story behind the haunted house and ponder the how and why of this murder. It remains fascinating to puzzle together the answers.

For fans of the genre, the horror-inspired scenes are a welcome addition. This is what makes “A Haunting in Venice” different from the other two movies. The variety between the three films, for example, in tone, location and characters, ensure that you won’t easily become bored with Poirot and his case.

If Branagh decides to continue this franchise, I would love that. Because “A Haunting in Venice” is definitely the best one yet. “Murder on the Orient Express” was okay and “Death on the Nile” was downright disappointing. I really loved “A Haunting in Venice”. Branagh managed to deliver an atmospheric production. With beautiful sets, clever use of one location and an intriguing mystery. I does not bore you for a moment. And I’m very confused that its average rating is so low.

Rating: 4/ 5

90s Movie Review - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

Director: Gary Trousdale, Kirk Wise
Genre: Animation/ Family/ Drama
Runtime: 91 minutes
Year: 1997
Starring: Tom Hulce, Demi Moore, Kevin Kline, Jason Alexander, Jim Cummings, Tony Jay

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 47: A MUSICAL
 
Description: A deformed bell-ringer (Tom Hulce) must assert his independence from a vicious government minister (Tony Jay) in order to help his friend, a gypsy dancer (Demi Moore).

Review: Victor Hugo’s classic story begins in the film with the festival of fools. Quasimo lives in the bell tower of Notre Dame and dreams of being among people for once. Judge Frollo, who raised him, made Quasimodo believe that no one would accept a ‘monster’. But at the urging of his three friends, Gargoyles Victor, Hugo and Laverne, he descends to the revelry anyway.

At first, people believe he is in disguide, but the crowd discovers that Quasimodo is not wearing a mask. In front of Frollo, he is tied up and pelted with rotten tomates. The judge forbids his new captain Phoebus to intervene. But gypsy woman Esmeralda cannot stand this mistreatment and finally cuts Quasimodo loose. Frollo declares her an outlaw and sets about hunting her down. The only safe haven for Esmeralda is the Notre Dame, with Quasimodo as her only friend.

Like Victor Hugo’s “Les Misérables”, “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” lends itself fairly well as a musical in which Gregorian singing, quiet songs and rousing melodies alternate. The film starts off very sad. Within the first 30 minutes, Quasimodo is almost tossed in a well as a baby, Frollo makes him sing he is deformed and a monster and he is tied up and humiliated in front of an entire crowd. It does become much happier and unlike the novel, the film has a happy ending. It’s still Disney.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

Book Review - Ragdoll by Daniel Cole

Title: Ragdoll
Series: Fawkes and baxter # 1
Author: Danie Cole
 
Description: William Fawkes, a controversial detective known as The Wolf, has just been reinstated to his post after he was suspended for assaulting a vindicated suspect. Still under psychological evaluation, Fawkes returns to the force eager for a big case. When his former partner and friend, Detective Emily Baxter, calls him to a crime scene, he’s sure this is it: the body is made of the dismembered parts of six victims sewn together like a puppet – a corpse that becomes known as “The Ragdoll”.
 
Fawkes is tasked with identifying the six victims, but that gets dicey when his reported ex-wife anonymously receives photographs from the crime scene, along with a list of six names, and the dates on which the Ragdoll Killer plans to murder them. The final name on the list is Fawkes.
 
Baxter and her trainee partner, Alex Edmunds, hone in on figuring our what links the victims together before the killer strikes again. But for Fawkes seeing his name on the list sparks a dark memory, and her fears that the catalyst for these killings has more to do with him, and his past, than anyone realizes.
 
Review: The synopsis sounded amazing, I was immediately intrigued. Unfortunately, “Ragdoll” did not live up to my expectations.
 
We follow detectives William Fawkes, also known as The Wolf, and Emily Baxter who are working on the case of the ragdoll killer. This serial killer gets his name from the fact that he strings body parts of his victims together to form one person (or ragdoll). I’m mostly very interested in serial killer stories like this, but I just couldn’t get into this one.
 
I always like it when we follow several characters, but not in “Ragdoll”. There are many characters, but no one really stands out. And even though I don’t mind that characters in a book are unlikeable, at least they are interesting. None of the characters in “Ragdoll” are. I think Alex Edmunds is the only nice character in the book and everyone treats him like crap. And even he become less likeable once the book progressed.
 
The book dragged, I wasn’t invested and I already forgot most of it right after I finished it. A very forgettable book, not my type of thriller. I will not be continuing in this series.
 
Rating: 2/ 5

Movie Review - Nyad

Director: Jimmy Chin, Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 121 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Annette Bening, Jodie Foster, Rhys Ifans
 
Description: The remarkable true story of athlete Diana Nyad (Annette Bening) who, at age 60 and with the help of her best friend and coach (Jodie Foster), commits to achieving her life-long dream: a 110-mile open sea swim from Cuba to Florida.

Review: Diana Nyad is a woman who at sixty-four overcame her greatest challenge: swimming from Cuba to Florida (over one hundred and sixty kilometers). She failed at this attempt when she was 28. It’s more than a two day swim, with a lot of obstacles on her way: staying awake constantly, trying to eat, sharks, jelly fish, the cold, the weather.

Annette Bening plays the role of Diana Nyad convincingly. At her side is Jodie Foster, who plays her best friend and coach Bonnie. Also wonderful Both characters are easy to empathize with, even though Diana can be unsufferable at times.

The film is nicely shot, with sometimes adding images from the actual events with the real Diana. And there is room for Diana’s early life as well, which gives her challenge some extra weight on an emotional level.

It is admirable how determined Diana is and how she never gives up. Because she tried many times before actually succeeding. Most people would have already give up. Diana truly is an inspiration.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - Cocaine Bear

Director: Elizabeth Banks
Genre: Comedy/ Thriller
Runtime: 95 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Keri Russell, Alden Ehrenreich, O’Shea Jackson Jr., Ray Liotta, Isiah Whitlock Jr., Margot Martindale, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Kristoffer Hivju, Hannah Hoekstra, Matthew Rhys
 
Description: An oddball groups of cops, criminals, tourist and teens converge on a Georgia forest where a huge black bear goes on a murderous rampage after unintentionally ingesting cocaine.

Review: Cheap slasher films of the 1980s had a plot as high quality as the budget. Nothing more was needed, it just had to be entertainment. This is also a slasher, set in the 80s, but this time is not a knifed killer on the loose, but a bear.

1985. A drug smuggles makes a mistake that causes hi to crash somewhere in a residential neighborhood. The bags full of cocaine he threw from the plane are now yup for grabs in the Appalachian Mountains. Only a drug lord knows about it and sends some people to get them. Meanwhile, a bear has stumbled upon the cocaine and becomes uninhibitedly addicted to it. All visitors to the preserve are a target.

Elizabeth Banks is a fine actress, in both serious and funny roles. For “Cocaine Bear” she took on the role of director. She has yet to proof herself as a director. “Pitch Perfect 2” was just okay and her version of the outdated TV-series “Charlie’s Angels” wasn’t well-received. “Cocaine Bear” is loads of fun, but it’s not the best movie you will see this year.

Banks does have a great cast to work with. Keri Russell is pretty good, as well as Ray Liotta, in one his last appearances. Margo Martindale is the funniest of the cast, as a park ranger.

This movie feels exactly like a drug trip: chaotic, wild and out of control. I believe it was a fun time, lots of laughs. Do not take it too seriously please, and you will enjoy it.

Rating: 3/ 5

90s Movie Review - 8 MM

Director: Joel Schumacher
Genre: Thriller/ Crime
Runtime: 123 minutes
Year: 1999
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Catherine Keener, Joaquin Phoenix, James Gandolfini, Peter Stormare, Anthony Heald, Norman Reedus

Description: A private investigator (Nicolas Cage) is hired to discover if a “snuff film” is authentic or not.

Review: A snuff film is a real-murder film within the porn industry. It’s a persistent myth. This thriller by director Joel Schumacher cleverly plays on the hint of mystery surrounding the phenomenon.

Nicholas Cage plays private detective Tom Welles who gets his hands on a sniff film via the widow of a recently deceased prominent business. She want Tom wo find out the source of this misery. While investigating, Tom sinks deeper and deeper into the dark world of the porn industry, searching for the maker of the film and if it’s real.

I always believed “8 MM” was an underrated thriller, I think I like it more then most people. It’s a pretty disturbing topic, a gritty film. Maybe not the best acting, but the mystery is really interesting and compelling.

Rating: 3,5 / 5

00s Movie Review - Doubt

Director: John Patrick Shanley
Genre: Drama
Runtime: 104 minutes
Year: 2008
Starring: Mery Streep, Amy Adams, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Viola Davis
 
Description: A catholic school principal (Meryl Streep) questions a priest’s (Philip Seymour Hoffman) ambiguous relationship with a troubled young student.  

Review: Without doubt, there is no faith. The historical setting of “Doubt” underscores that wisdom: major social changes are afoot in America’s early 1960s, but the film deals with a more fundamental uncertainty: holding to your faith or straying into sin to sanctify a greater purpose?

A Catholic elementary school in the Bronx, cut off from current events, welcomes new priest Brendan Flynn, who alludes to major changes within the church community with a charismatic sermon. At odds with his emancipatory ideas is principal Aloysius Beauvier who does not understand what he is talking about. Beauvier seems like a woman from days gone by, but appearances are deceptive: based on suspicion of Sister James, her young protégé, she accuses Flynn of abusing a black alter boy. Her crusade grows into a titanic struggle in which the truth, however, remains hidden. The title more than covers it.

The most pressing questios are left unanswered: why is Siter Beauvier convinced of Flynn’s guilt? Are her doubts also directed to God? What happened between Flynn and the young boy? “Doubt” keeps it all in the middle.

“Doubt” isn’t a spectacular film, it’s an acting movie, that is  made or broken by its cast. And having performers like Meryl Streep, the late Seymour Hoffman, Amy Adams and Viola Davis in your cast, it’s definitely going to be alright.

“Doubt” addresses fundamental questions or responsibility and suspicion, but does not offer enough space for real reflection on the morality of faith. A well-acted movie.

Rating: 4/ 5

00s Movie Review - Mona Lisa Smile

Director: Mike Newell
Genre: Drama/ Romance
Runtime: 117 minutes
Year: 2003
Starring: Julia Roberts, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Julia Stiles, Dominic West, Ginnifer Goodwin, Marcia Gay Harden, John Slattery, Topher Grace

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 46: A MOVIE ABOUT A CLUB
 
Description: A free-thinking art professor (Julia Roberts) teaches conservative 1950s Wellesly girls to question their traditional social roles.

Review: A progressive teacher encourages female students to get more out of life than just getting married. Set in the 1950s, where at the very conservative Wellesley college for women, art teacher Katherine Ann Watson starts her job. Katherine deviates from all the strict rules.

“Mona Lisa Smile” has a lot to it. Besides the attempts you see Katherine making to make her students think, you see their lives of these students, as well as Katherine’s.

The central issue of choosing a career is not presented in a one-sided wat. Although Katherine’s opinion prevails positively throughout the film, “Mona Lisa Smile” also gives space to other ideas on relationships, work and ambitions as a woman.

The cast is great. Julia Roberts, as Katherine, is really good. Julia Stiles, Kirsten Dunst, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Ginnifer Goodwin are among the students and all these women have a different idea about life, love and ambition. This movie is carried by women.

“Mona Lisa Smile” is a beautiful film about that was a women’s life goal and what was expected of women in the 1950s. A film about thinking differently, about life choices and about love.

Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - The Housemaid

Title: The Housemaid
Series: The Housemaid # 1
Author: Freida McFadden
 
Description: “Welcome to the family”, Nina Winchester says as I shake her elegant, manicured hand. I smile politely, gazing around the marble hallway. Working here is my last chance to start fresh. I can pretend to be whoever I like. But I’ll soon learn that the Winchesters’ secrets are far more dangerous than my own…
 
Every day I clean the Winchesters’ beautiful house top to bottom. I collect their daughter from school. And I cook a delicious meal for the whole family before heading up to eat alone in my tint room on the top floor.
 
I try to ignore how Nina makes a mess just to watch me clean it up. How she tells strange lies about her own daughter. And how her husband Andrew seems more broken every day. But as I look into Andrew’s handsome brown eyes, so full of pain, it’s hard not to imagine what it would be like to live Nina’s life. The walk-in closet, the fancy car, the perfect husband.
 
But I assure myself the Winchesters don’t know who I really am. They don’t know what I’m capable of.
 
Review: When I read the synopsis, I wasn’t intrigued at all. I knew the book is super popular, but this story didn’t seem that special. Yet, I was curious if I would agree with all those people and I would understand the hype around “The Housemaid”. Trust me, I do now.
 
Are you looking for a book you can completely lose yourself in? Or one to get you out of a reading slump?  I think this is the one for you. From the first page, I was intrigued and could not put the book down. The ominous atmosphere increases with each chapter. All you think is, “get out of there Millie”. Halfway through the story, there is this insane and genius plot twist. I could have never predicted it and it left mee speechless. At that point, it was even harder to put it down.
 
This is my second Freida McFadden book and I can say that her writing style is very compelling. Each character has their own secrets. Step by step you get more and more answers, constantly adjusting your opinion of each character. So well-written, amazing plot twist and exciting to the end. I recommend every thriller fan to pick up this book.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

10s Movie Review - Wonder

Director: Stephen Chbosky
Genre: Drama/ Family
Runtime: 113 minutes
Year: 2017
Starring: Jacob Tremblay, Julia Roberts, Owen Wilson, Izabela Vidovic, Mandy Patinkin, Noah Jupe

Description: The story of August Pullman (Jacob Tremblay), a boy with facial differences who enters the fifth grade, attending a mainstream elementary school for the first time.

I WATCHED THIS MOVIE FOR MY 2023 MOVIE CHALLENGE
WEEK 45: A MOVIE WITH A CHIL AS THE LEADING CHARACTER
 
Review: It is not easy to be different. Especially when you look different from others. So different that they stare at you, whisper about you, point at you or don’t even dare to touch you. It is the life of Auggie Pullman as soon as he enters fifth grade. His parents have long kept him at home, but now it’s time for him to learn to be among other kids. And that they learn to look past his appearance.

Aggie Pullman has Treacher Collins syndrome, an extremely rare hereditary condition that makes his face look distorted from birth. In his case, it even required a slew of surgeries to keep him alive. Despite the genetic component, it is possible that no one else in the family has it.

“Wonder” is a typical American family drama, in which children bully each other for being different, but then gradually accept each other once they get to know each other better. A sympathetic feel-good movie that never colors outside the lines, except perhaps for Auggies condition. Jacob Tremblay does an excellent job as Auggie.

What makes “Wonder” so likeable, besides its well-intentioned message about acceptance, is that no one is singled out as the culprit for the main characters’ misfortune. We get to see not only Auggie’s perspective, but also that of his older sister Via who has accepted that the family’s life revolves around her little brother and the she must solve her typical teenage girl problems on her own. We also get to see the perspective of Via’s best friend, who all of a sudden is very popular and is hardly talking to Via anymore. And Auggies first friend Jack, who accepts him at first but then gets into a fight with him when he pretends not to accept him for fear of the class bully. All children have their own problems, fears and motivations.

“Wonder” is predictable, but it’s such a heartwarming film, that you cannot help but smile in the end.

Rating: 4/ 5

Movie Review - The Killer

Director: David Fincher
Genre: Action/ Crime/ Thriller
Runtime: 118 minutes
Year: 2023
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Tilda Swinton, Charles Parnell, Arliss Howard, Kerry O’Malley
 
Description: After a fateful near-miss, an assassin (Michael Fassbender) battles his employers, and himself, on an international manhunt he insists isn’t personal.

Review: After a job gone wrong, an assassin must take more and more victims to escape from his self-made mess.

Director David Fincher is a favorite of mine. He made some of my favorite thrillers ever: “Seven”, “Fight Club” and “Gone Girl” are movies I will never stop recommending. It’s clear the crime-thriller genre is what Fincher excels in.  

That Fincher feels comfortable within this genre is abundantly clear. Everything is clearly portrayed, with the editing and soundtrack effectively contributing to the visuals. Michael Fassbender does a solid job as the cool killer, but his stoic demeanor solidly gets in the way of the film.

The unnamed killer is a man of few words, whose thoughts are conveyed via voice-over. Fassbender conveys everything rather monotonously, perhaps appropriate for an assassin, but it makes it a bit boring to listen to at times.

The story suffers from the same problem, it lacks a compelling plot. The killer travels from place to place, sometimes claiming a victim. It is too little to get invested in. the sporadic outburst of violence are brief, but beautifully crafted. There is especially one fight scene, that is so well-crafted. A hand-to-hand fight that really stuck with me. The film could have used more such moments to ramp up the tension, as you are otherwise never on the edge of your seat.  

“The Killer” is technically a well-made film that just passes by without doing anything to you. The film feels detached, perhaps intentionally, but without any emotional involvement. Still a good film, but not David Fincher greatness.

Rating: 3,5/ 5

TV Show Review - The Fall of the House of Usher

Season: Mini Series
Genre: Horror/ Drama/ Mystery
Number of episodes: 8
Year: 2023
Starring: Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carla Cugino, Henry Thomas, Kate Siegel, Zach Gilford, Samantha Sloyan, Michael Trucco, Mark Hamill    

Description: To secure their fortune (and future) two ruthless siblings (Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell) build a family dynasty that begins to crumble when their heirs mysteriously die, one by one.

Review: Many filmmakers have a bond with the actors they work with. Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, or Tim Burton and Johnny Depp. Director Mike Flanagan does this with his series and films as well. In his newest show, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, we see a lot of familiar faces, like Bruce Greenwood, Carla Cugino, Zach Gilford, Henry Thomas, Samantha Sloyan and his wife Kate Siegel. I was very excited for this show, I’m a huge fan of Mike Flanagan’s work.

“The House of the Fall of Usher” is (very loosely) based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. The story is about 40 pages long, so creating an 8-part TV-series around it is quite the challenge. Flanagan also took it to modern time. And I believe he did an excellent job.

The Usher family has amassed enormous wealth, but is mostly known for theur major crimes they get away with time and time again. Until one day, Roderick Usher’s six children are killed one by one in bloody accidents in a short period of time. Roderick invites hi judicial adversary to confess it all, because he knows full well who is targeting him.

“The Fall of the House of Usher” is marketed as horror, it is not a show just for the horror fans. I see it mostly as a dark, gothic mystery thriller with horror elements in it. The show has some really strong and effective scares, that would be stated horror.

The characters are diverse, but I can say that you will hate them all. They are all so unlikeable, but extremely interesting. The series only downside is that it has some predictability, because you know when which sibling will die. Because it’s set I a way that one person will die per episode. The way they all kick the bucket is not predictable, because some of them are very original, and all gruesome.

The cast is fantastic, but Carla Cugino and Bruce Greenwood (who previously both starred in Flanagan’s “Gerald’s Game”) are the ones that impress the most. Cugino is a literal chameleon in “The Fall of the House of Usher”.

I don’t think this is a show for everyone, whether you like horror or not. I highly enjoyed it and jumped a few times because of the scares Flanagan so well added. And the conclusion of the whole story was very strong.

Book Review - The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James

Title: The Book of Cold Cases
Series: -
Author: Simone St. James
 
Description: In 1977, Claire Lake, Oregon, was shaken by the Lady Killer Murders: Two men, seemingly randomly, were murdered with the same gun, with strange notes left behind. Beth Greer was the perfect suspect – a rich, eccentric twenty-three-year old woman, seen fleeing one of the crimes. But she was acquitted, and she retreated to the isolation of her mansion.
 
Oregon, 2017. Shea Collins is a receptionist, but by night, she runs a true crime website, the Book of Cold Cases – a passion fueled by the attempted abduction she escaped as a child.  When she meets Beth by chance, Shea asks her for an interview. To Shea’s surprise, Beth says yes.
 
They meet regularly at Beth’s mansion, though Shea is never comfortable there. Items move when she’s not looking, and she could swear she’s seen a girl outside the window. The allure of learning to truth about the case from the smart, charming Beth is too much to resist, but even as they grow closer, Shea senses something isn’t right. Is she making friends with a manipulative murderer, or are there other dangers lurking in the darkness of the Greer house?  
 
Review: If you enjoy crime thrillers with a hint of supernatural to it, “The Book of Cold Cases” by Simone St. James might be just the book for you. It’s just the right amount of spooky if you are not a big fan of ghost stories.
 
Shea is the main character in the book. She works at a receptionist at a doctor’s office. But he true passion is her website: The Book of Cold Cases. Where she writes about true crime cold cases. When she meets Beth Greer, a woman who was accused of murder in the 70s but was acquitted for the crime, Shea wants to interview her. And to her surprise Beth says yes.
 
I loved Simone St. James’ book “The Broken Girls”, which I read earlier this year. It was a perfect thriller for me. And “The Book of Cold Cases” did exactly the same for me. I love how St. James build her stories. Dual timelines, a crime that happened in the past, linking it to someone in the present. And a supernatural element added to is as well. I love her writing as well and I can say that Simone St. James might become a favorite author for me. She is definitely one that I will auto-buy from.
 
Even though the story isn’t filled with major surprises or twists, I could not put this book down. I was super invested in the case, in the characters in their backstories. I loved the dual timelines and how the book switches perspectives. And the big reveal was actually pretty early on in the book, but still I wanted to keep reading.
 
If you have read from Simone St. James before and enjoyed her books previous books, you will “The Book of Cold Cases” probably like this as well. I know I did.
 
Rating: 5/ 5

Book Review - The Family Game by Catherine Steadman

Title: The Family Game
Series: -
Author: Catherine Steadman
 
Description: Harriet is a novelist on the brink of stardom; Edward, her husband-to-be, is seemingly perfects. In love and freshly engaged, their bliss is interrupted by the reemergence of the Holbecks, Edward’s eminent family and the embodiment of American old money. For years, they’ve dominated headlines and pulled society’s strings, and Edward left them all behind to forge his own path. But there are eyes and ears everywhere. It was only a matter of time before they were pulled back in.
 
After all, even though he’s long severed ties with his family, Edward is set to inherit it all. Harriet is drawn to the glamour and sophistication of the Holbecks, who seem to welcome her with open arms, but everything changes when she meets Robert, the inescapably magnetic head of the family. At their first meeting, Robert slips Harriet a cassette tape, revealing a shocking confession which sets the inevitable game in motion.
 
What is it about Harriet that made him give her that tape? A thing that has the power to destroy everything? As she ramps up her quest for the truth, she must endure the Holbeck’s savage Christmas traditions all the while knowing that losing this game could be deadly.
 
Review: I’m always in for a creepy thriller about a toxic family, with loads of drama and secrets. Harriet is about to be married into one, after meeting Edward. Their seemingly perfect happiness gets disturbed when meeting the Holbecks, Edward’s family, with whom has had broken ties with. His family is really eager to meet Harriet.
 
Edward is the heir of the family and the life the Holbecks are living, impresses Harriet. They seem to welcome her with open arms. But everything changes when she meets Robert, Edward’s father, and he hands Harriet a mysterious cassette tape.
 
The book is very reminiscent of the successful TV-show “Succession” and the movie “Ready or Not”. Both about a dysfunctional family with enormous wealth. Harriet is the new girl, the one marrying into this family. But she’s not your typical innocent woman. She has her own secrets and never told this to anyone, not even Edward. Creepy and deadly games follow.
 
It’s fun to read about family drama. I did not like a single character in this book, but they were all very interesting to read about. The pace of the book picks up when Harriet meets the Holbeck family. But it’s only towards the end that it really gets fast-paced and action-packed. It’s all a bit messed up, those games this family like to play. There are only a few minor surprises, in the sense of finding about things about certain characters. But none of them mind-blowing or groundbreaking.
 
I really liked the concept of the story and loved that final part of the story. If it wasn’t for this, the book would have been just okay. It’s a solid, enjoyable thriller.  
 
Rating: 3,5/ 5