Category: Books

Murder & Mayhem on Page & Screen

JWF Leave a comment

For a change of pace this week, I’m profiling three works, a mystery novel by the clever and creative
Anthony Horowitz, and two TV crime series in which the Chief Penguin and I have been immersed. One set in coastal Denmark and the other in the remote Shetland Islands

DEATH BY WINE BOTTLE

The Sentence is Death by Anthony Horowitz

Author Horowitz (newstatesman.com)

Anyone who’s ever watched  Foyle’s War or Midsomer Murders has been exposed to Anthony Horowitz’s writing.  Both are excellent series and imbued with compassion and warmth.  The Sentence is Death is Horowitz’s second featuring Detective Daniel Blackwell and himself as characters.  I haven’t read the first Blackwell mystery (The Word is Murder), but several years ago, I enjoyed Horowitz’s popular and puzzling Magpie Murders.

Prominent London divorce lawyer to the rich and well-connected, Richard Pryce is found dead having been struck with an expensive wine bottle.  Retired Detective Blackwell is called in to assist since it seems to be a complex case, and he asks his friend Tony (Horowitz) to tag along.  Tony is writing a series of novels about Blackwell and his cases, and there are many suspects here.  They range from Adrian Lockwood, Pryce’s most recent client, Akira Anno, Lockwood’s ex-wife, and two Oxford classmates who were involved in a caving incident some years before.  

The book begins slowly as the various characters are introduced and as the reader becomes familiar with how Tony and Blackwell interact with each other.  Neither is always as forthcoming with information as the other would prefer.  There are glimpses of Tony’s other life involving the filming of the latest episode of Foyle’s War which add color and reality to this fictional piece.  Tony is convinced he has figured out who the killer is, but the reader will have to wait to find out—unless he or she has also guessed.  (I did).  It’s an intriguing crime novel and a fun one!

For more about Anthony Horowitz and why he puts himself into these mystery novels, here’s an article from New Statesman.

DANISH TRIANGLE—LOVE, CRIME, & FRENDSHIP

Sommerdahl Murders (Season 3, Acorn)

Marianne, Dan, Flemming (justwatch.com)

This is the third season of a crime series set on the coast of Denmark in the small city of Elsinore, not far from Sweden.  There are eight episodes.  Detectives Dan Sommerdahl and Flemming Torp are partners and longtime friends who seamlessly work together, always intuiting and anticipating each other’s moves. Yet Dan is divorced from Marianne, a technician who is part of the crime team, and she is now involved with Flemming.  

How these relationships impact the work environment and their colleagues is one of the main focuses of this season.  Yes, it’s a crime series, and there are multi-layered murders to solve, but it’s also a study in friendship.  The Chief Penguin and I very much enjoyed the previous seasons and quickly got caught up in this one as well.  According to the press, Season 4 is in the works.  Recommended!

MURDER IN REMOTE SCOTLAND

Shetland (Season 6, Acorn)

Tosh & Jimmy (theartsdesk.com)

Shetland, featuring Douglas Henshall as Detective Jimmy Perez, is another favorite series of ours. This season was actually released in the U.S. beginning in early November 2021. For some reason, the Chief Penguin and I watched the first two of 6 episodes last winter, but had never finished the rest. This week we rectified that.

When a successful and seemingly well-liked trial lawyer, Alex Galbraith, is murdered in his own home, there seem to be no obvious suspects. Simultaneously, a woman who murdered the sister of a Shetland resident, is given compassionate release from prison due to advanced cancer. Donna’s return stirs up anger, bitterness, and even demonstrations.

As Jimmy Perez and the members of his team, Tosh and Sandy, begin digging, there are affairs, unexplained expenses, and an event from twenty years ago that may be a link to what happened to Mr. Galbraith. With its many twists and turns and the secondary plot involving Donna, it is a totally absorbing and suspenseful season. Highly recommended!

Season 7 is already being aired in Britain, and there will be a Season 8 in 2023, but with a new lead. For avid fans, it’s disappointing that Douglas Henshall is bowing out as DI Perez after this year.

Relaxing in Maine: Reading & Viewing

JWF Leave a comment

READING

I have several recent novels set in Maine in my book stack and will be reading and commenting on them in the next few blogs.  Below is the first one I’ve just finished which, after a slow start for me, I enjoyed quite a lot.

I received a link to a blog post recommending 12 books set in Maine (thanks to Patricia and Kathy) which I’m including here.  I was pleased to see the novels I will be reading on this list plus other titles by Elizabeth Strout, Anita Shreve, and Courtney Sullivan that I’ve already read.  It’s a good list for anyone visiting Maine or wishing to experience it vicariously.

MAINE BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Midcoast by Adam White

Author White (lcnme.com)

I was intrigued to read this first novel partly because it is set in Damariscotta, Maine, a town near where we stay which we know quite well.  The book is also getting attention and good reviews.  It both was and wasn’t what I expected it to be.

The prologue introduces Andrew, the narrator throughout the novel.  Andrew grew up in Damariscotta, left for school, college, and career, and then returned as an adult with his wife Maeve and two children.  He knew Ed Thatch somewhat as a kid even though their backgrounds were different.  Andrew’s father was an orthopedic surgeon, Ed’s a blue-collar worker.  Now, Ed Thatch and his wife Steph look to be living the high life and he’s a lobsterman.  

Andrew is puzzled and, I would say, becomes obsessed with trying to figure out how Ed has managed it. When Ed’s daughter starts playing lacrosse, a sport unknown to him, he seeks knowledge and advice from Andrew (or Andy, as he calls him) on what colleges she should pursue.  

The novel is an unfolding of the layers of Ed’s life, the challenges wife Steph faces as town manager, Allie’s status as Amherst lacrosse star, and son EJ’s settling in as town policeman. Then comes the ultimate unraveling.  The outcome, but not the reasons why, is partially revealed in the prologue.  

White captures beautifully the feel of the Maine coast, the moneyed crowd who summer there, and the nuances of class and status.  Once I became accustomed to Andrew’s voice as narrator and the jumps back and forth in time as he relates events and later conversations, I was caught up in the suspense of wanting to know how it all would end.  My Maine friends and anyone familiar with this coast should enjoy the novel—if only for the references to familiar hangouts.  

VIEWING—POLITICS & CRIME

Meanwhile, when we are between house guests, we have more time to devote to TV series from Britain and Europe. 

FEMALES IN POWER

Borgen – Power & Glory (Netflix)

Asger & Brigitte (europe-cities.com)

When Borgen, a Danish political drama series, ended several years ago, I and others were sad.  It’s excellent TV fare about the first female Danish prime minister, Birgitte Nyborg, and her challenges in balancing power and family.  

This new season of Borgen (effectively season 4) is eight episodes all built around a single issue, the discovery of oil in Greenland and its ramifications for Denmark, but also for China, Russia, and the U.S.   Nyborg is now the foreign minister working with a younger female prime minister.  In making decisions and even policy, she occasionally forgets she is no longer the one solely in charge.  And she begins to obsess about staying in power.

As in the earlier seasons, the broadcasters at TV1 are always eager to get Nyborg on the air.  Journalist Katrine Fonsmark is now the head of news, having succeeded her colleague and mentor, Torben.  With her brusque style, she is finding her new role more difficult than she anticipated.  There are other familiar characters from the past like Nyborg’s son Magnus, now a climate activist, who clashes with his mother’s views.  A new player, Asger, the acting Arctic Ambassador, is charged with handling the negotiations with Greenland. 

 It is fascinating, well written, compelling drama.  The Chief Penguin and I binge watched the series and highly recommend it!  

QUIRKY CASES IN BATH

McDonald & Dodds (Amazon Prime/BritBox)

DCI McDonald with DS Dodds (theguardian.com)

This British crime series is set in Bath and features a most unlikely pairing of a detective chief inspector and her detective sergeant.  DCI Lauren McDonald is UFL (Up From London) and determined to advance her career quickly by getting confessions.  DS Dodds is a middle-aged bumbling white guy who seems slow on the uptake.  Their respective boss would like to see him retire and urges McDonald to push the idea.  Initially McDonald doesn’t appreciate her partner at all, and he finds her puzzling.  

As they work together, however, she discovers that, armed with his magnifying glass and his propensity to rush off to the library for research, he comes up with key insights into their cases.  Watching their growing respect for one another and the beginnings of affectionate regard add to the delight of the series.

We’ve watched three episodes thus far.  The murder cases have all involved a group of people, be it friends, family, or patients, who know each other well.  The first episode about a wealthy entrepreneur was excellent, the second episode a bit wacky, and the third one about a hot air balloon creative and intriguing.  There are three seasons or 8 episodes total, and each episode is 90 minutes in length.  I call this series fun entertainment.

Header photo of blue chairs ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

Maine Potpourri: Books & Music

JWF Leave a comment

This week’s post features two novels I recently read. One is definitely summertime fare, an absorbing love story set in and near Philadelphia. The other is yet another World War II related historical novel, but from a slightly different perspective than the recent rash of female spy novels. I found that the momentum built the farther I got into it. Character development was a bit slow and with not as much depth as the author’s earlier novel, perhaps because a few more of these characters were real people.

And on a different note, the Chief Penguin and I went to a concert of Irish music performed by the female ensemble, Cherish the Ladies.

AMISH AND BIG CITY WORLDS COLLIDE

Between You & Me by Susan Wiggs

I’ve long been a fan of Susan Wiggs’ novels.  Some are historical novels such as her early Chicago Fire Trilogy; others are contemporary.  All deal with relationships, both romantic and familial.  Not her most recent book, but one I’d missed is Between You and Me.  Set in the greater Philadelphia area, it brings into focus the contrast in cultural milieus between a rich medical student destined to become a pediatric surgeon and an Amish farmer who is raising his orphaned niece and nephew in that faith community.  

Reese Powell is following the career track her successful physician parents have mapped out for her when she encounters Caleb Stoltz whose nephew Jonah has suffered a farming machinery accident.  Jonah loses his arm and has a long road to recovery and adjustment.  Despite their different and clashing worlds, Reese and Caleb are attracted to one another.  Yet each is bound by pledges they made to their families.  I found this an absorbing and fast-paced story that drew me in immediately.  

SAVING WWII REFUGEES

The Postmistress of Paris by Meg Waite Clayton

Author Clayton (en.wikipedia.org)

Several years ago, I read and enjoyed Meg Clayton’s earlier novel, The Last Train to London, also set during the Second World War.  This new one is built around German artist refugees and activists involved in secretly guiding them out of occupied France across the mountains into Spain or Portugal.  A dangerous business.  

The main character, heiress Nanee, is based on the real Mary Jane Gold from Chicago.  Nanee has a passion for adventure and joins the resistance delivering messages to refugees in hiding and spiriting others across the border.  She buys an old chateau on the outskirts of Paris to house herself and colleagues, including the real American journalist Varian Fry.  Photographer Edouard Moss, wanted by the Nazis, is reluctant to leave since he has been separated from his little girl.  The novel is a story of Nanee and Edouard’s love and the amazing bravery and courage of those who endured.

It moves slowly as the character of Edouard is introduced and then gains momentum as the resistance team becomes involved in a rescue mission from a French labor camp.  A sobering portrait of a time fraught with danger. 

IRISH MUSIC

The group with Joanie Madden in front (boothbayoperahouse.com)

It’s just a month since we returned home from Ireland and so, going to a concert of Irish music was both appropriate and appealing.  The Opera House at Boothbay Harbor presents a full season of musical events beginning in May and ending in December.  Their offerings range from folk music to jazz to Broadway tunes to blues and swing bands.  Several years ago, we attended a jazz concert in this historic hall.

This week, the offering was the Irish music ensemble, Cherish the Ladies.  This Grammy-winning group, led by an exuberant Joanie Madden on flute and whistle, has been performing together for 38 years.  On fiddle, accordion, guitar, and piano plus the whistle or flute, they performed traditional Irish tunes along with some original ones.  Interspersed in were two lively step dancers and several haunting County Clare melodies sung by Clare native, Kate Purcell.  

The music was lively and lilting and the evening great fun!  The group was supposed to be here for a Christmas program in December 2019.  Due to Covid, they got here this year instead.  The hall was packed and clearly, some in the crowd were big fans.  For a sample, here’s a YouTube link to “The Cat’s Meow Jig”, Joanie Madden’s first composition.

Note: Header photo is a Maine sunset off Southport Island ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved).

UNWINDING IN MAINE

JWF 1 Comment

We are fortunate that the Maine coast this week is one of the coolest places in the country, the U.S. at large suffering through another wave of record-setting heat.  For us, Maine is a time to slow down, read more, watch more, spend time with good friends and family, and just relax.  Here are some samples of recent fare.  

WATCHING

Grantchester (PBS Masterpiece)

Mrs. C. (Sylvia) & Leonard (cheatsheet.com)

This is Season 7 of Grantchester, and it’s an excellent one.  There are six episodes, and we’ve now watched all of them.  There is still a murder case to be solved in each one and the complexities of the cases are intriguing, but the real meat is in the focus on the characters.  The separation between Geordie and his wife Kathy is one thread; another is Mrs. C’s angry and disruptive behavior as she deals with a health issue.  And then there’s vicar Will, in love or lust with a woman named Maya, someone else’s fiancée, and attracted to Geordie’s sister-in-law Bonnie.  How these relationships evolve and grow makes for wonderfully satisfying viewing.  The writing is superb, and Tom Brittney both plays Will Davenport and directs this season. It is definitely one of the best seasons of all.  Highly recommended!

A light production moment with Geordie (Robson Green) and Sylvia (Tessa Peake-Jones)

Endeavour (PBS Masterpiece)

In contrast to Grantchester, I thought Season 8 of Endeavour fell short.  Endeavour is falling apart, is lax on the job, and resorting to alcohol.  There are cases to be solved with Detective Thursday, but in at least one episode, the ending did not satisfactorily bring all the pieces together.  There are three episodes, and this is said to be the next to last season.  Perhaps it has run out of oomph.

READING

Missing, Presumed by Susie Steiner

Author Steiner (theguardian.com)

I decided to explore this author’s work after reading her recent obituary in the New York Times.  A journalist for The Guardian for many years, Steiner went on to write three crime novels set in Cambridge, England featuring DS Manon Bradshaw. This is the first one.  A 24-year-old woman, Edie Hind, daughter of a wealthy, well-connected father, goes missing, and a wide-ranging search is undertaken to locate her.  This has all the elements of a well-done police procedural and is told from several perspectives, principally that of investigator Manon, but also that of constable Davy, Edie’s mother Miriam, and others.  

The writing is graphic and punchy.  Despite that, the book moves slowly and never really catches fire until about three-quarters in when the pace picks up.  I liked this novel enough to stay with it, but haven’t decided if I will read the next one in the series.

The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly

Author Kelly (simonandschuster.com)

With the grand, but neglected estate garden at Highbury House at its center, this historical novel is the interlocking story of several women, each of whom has some role in the creation of the garden.  It’s a novel of women who aspire to meaningful lives, often greater than what society allows or expects of them.  Along the way, they find fulfillment and love.  

In the present day, Emma, owner of her own garden design business, has taken on the restoration of the Highbury garden for clients Sydney and Andrew.  In 1907, Venetia Smith designed this series of garden rooms, and her story is the bedrock upon which the others unfold.  During WWII, Highbury House is requisitioned as a convalescent hospital and the owner’s widow, Diana Symonds, cook Stella Adderton, and land girl Beth Pedley must each in her own way deal with the shortages and sorrows of wartime.  

I found this a most absorbing novel both for the characters and the intricacies of designing a beautiful garden.  It shines a light on matters of class, ambition, and the role of women.  Kelly has written several other historical novels, and she’s on my list to explore her work further.

Note: Header photo is of a cove on Southport. ©JWFarrington (some rights reserved)