Outrageous Fortune

Review by: Cecilia Jansink

‘Outrageous Fortune’ holds the honour of being the longest running drama series produced in New Zealand, and well does it deserve the kudos with its standout scripts and stellar acting.

Outrageous Fortune brings us the story of the West family. Consisting mainly of petty crims who hold to their own honor code, the West’s are well and truly versed in life – on the wrong side of the law. That is until patriarch Wolf gets sent down yet again and, Cheryl decides that enough is enough.

A mother’s attempts to turn her father-in-law and three of her kids onto the straight and narrow is, for viewers, both hilarious and heartwarming – and, at time, very, very steamy!

Holding up her eldest son Jethro as the example, Cheryl manages to get the others offside right away. About to graduate as a lawyer, he gives the illusion of leaving the family skill set behind – but appearances can be quite deceiving.

Jethro’s identical twin Van, desperately wants to make his dad proud, and being the dimmer of the twins he is easily led astray.

Eldest daughter Pascalle, dreams of being a model and, as the apple of her daddy’s eye is used to just lazing around waiting for it to happen. Now she finds herself smack bang in the market for a job (a real one) and she doesn’t like it one bit.

Then there’s the youngest, Loretta. Smart, sassy and very conniving, Loretta is meant to be still at school full-time, but when there’s another way to make money, there’s a West.

Throw in an unpredictable ex-safe-cracker Grandpa, and Cheryl is going to have one hell of a job.

So not only are we given a healthy dose of crime to satisfy our cravings, but the performances of the cast are breathtaking.

Antony Starr plays both of the twins with such skill that you do end up believing they are totally separate people.

Robyn Malcom gives a commanding performance as long suffering Cheryl and, Grant Bowler as Wolf gives us ladies some added eye candy.

So take a trip over the ditch and check out how the kiwis do it – you will be utterly amazed.

Season 1-6 can be found at most DVD retailers.

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Marianne would like to invite you to her other website to read about her recently launched web-comic, entitled Peacemaker. If you like Tara Sharp then you may well enjoy meeting the main character, Virgin Jackson. Virgin has plenty of attitude and doesn’t know when to back off!

Peacemaker issue 1 is available for download from this link http://www.mariannedepierres.com/peacemaker/ for .99c AUD.

Enjoy!

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Defining Justice in a Fictional World

Article by: Kylie Fox

The term “justice” is one of the most difficult to define. A few weeks ago, I attended a panel made up of three judges from various courts and each of them had difficulty in providing a definition. Why? Because it is such a subjective term.

Justice means very different things to different people. In some countries, for example, it is considered just for the hand of a thief to be severed. Here, we would consider that to be barbaric – certainly not just.

To the judge, justice can only be served within the confines of a set of laws and they must take into account the crime, the probability of rehabilitation and the impact on the victim. They must find a fair and reasonable punishment, thus defining justice.

To the criminal waiting in the docks, who no doubt can justify his actions, at least to himself, any sentence, any punishment, will likely seem unjust.

To the victim, or the family of a victim, perhaps there is nothing that would feel like justice has been served. Consider the parents of a murdered child. One could assume that nothing short of the return of their child and the perpetrator rotting in hell, could seem like a just outcome.

We are often outraged at the sentences received by criminals – how can a life be worth ten years in jail? Others closer to the perpetrator will cry – but it was one stupid mistake!

In the real world, there are too many circumstances, too many variables, for justice to become a blanket term.

Equally, justice must not only be served but be seen to be served.

That adage holds true in crime fiction too – we, as the readers, expect to see some kind of justice for the crimes committed. This kind of justice doesn’t necessarily have to follow any real-world rules, so long as we are provided with some sense of closure.

In a court-based story, like those of John Grisham, we do expect that the perpetrators of the crime will be tried, convicted and receive exceptionally long sentences. We need for the police to have already done the groundwork for the case, but equally we expect the lawyers to find that smoking gun, right in the nick of time, or to push for a confession from a broken defendant on the stand. Only then can the reader be satisfied that justice has been served.

In many detective, private eye and police procedurals, we don’t need to follow the crime as far as the court case. We don’t need to know the sentence. We are satisfied with our protagonist surviving to solve another case – and of course, they must always get their man. Justice is seen to be served the second the police slap the handcuffs on.

For forensic-styled protagonists like those of Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs – we still expect them to get their man just not with the traditional footwork of a detective, but clever lab work. Oh, and only after their own lives have been threatened.

Jeff Lindsay brings us a whole other kind of justice – justice Dexter-style. And it’s every bit as satisfying –sometimes even more so – than the legal counterparts. Dexter’s particular brand of justice is to murder the perpetrators of some of the more vicious crimes, dispose of their bodies and continue working as a blood spatter analyst for the police department. He’s one of the good guys. He just does very bad things. But still, we cheer him on, pray he doesn’t get caught and feel well and truly satisfied that justice has been served when the dismembered remains of his latest bad-guy victim are tossed into the ocean.

Justice, in crime fiction, is every bit as varied and subjective as justice in the real world. I guess the only rule of justice is that it must be seen to be done and it must, at least somewhat, satisfy the parties involved. In the case of fiction, those parties are the reader.

What do you see as the most satisfying endings to crime fiction novels? Equally, what are some that have left you feeling ripped off; that haven’t seen justice served?

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Top TIps On How Not To Be A Fictional Victim

Article by: Janette Dalgliesh

You could be forgiven for thinking the world is a dangerous place. But I have some ideas that will help!

Get fussy

Feeling safe means that I’m more confident and assured when I’m out and about—and that in turn makes me less of a target.  On my first trip to Rome, I read that pickpockets only target tourists who stand around looking lost. I strode about the city as if I owned it, and never had a problem. That attitude has stood me in good stead ever since. But we all see the world through our own personal filter, and if that includes endless TV news stories of muggings and assaults, it can make us very nervous.

So my Number One strategy for feeling safe is to be picky about my exposure to TV news and current affairs. It’s normal for media to focus on bad news stories. But last year, local networks in my home town didn’t do a single story on the 98.77 percent of the population who weren’t victims of “crime against the person” (assault, murder, rape etc).

It’s easy to forget that not experiencing crime is the norm by a long shot. No wonder we get stressed!

But if giving up your nightly dose of TV news is too hard, how about following my easy tips to avoid becoming a crime statistic?

Location, location, location

Obviously you must never, ever move to Midsomer County in England, despite the bucolic beauty of the scenery. Its appallingly high body count is enough to warn you off.

Longstanding crim-catcher extraordinaire, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby (John Nettles), has passed the ball to the safe hands of his cousin, John Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon), also conveniently a DCI . If you DO get murdered, you can rest assured your killer is bound to be caught. But it’s not much consolation, is it?

Even Tom displayed wariness about moving to one of the local villages, recalling the grisly murders associated with every village that his wife Joyce suggested in a discussion about relocating.

Incidentally, Midscomer County is not to be confused with poor old Midsomer-Norton near Bath, which appears to have roughly the national UK average crime rates.

Tip: You might also want to exercise caution before moving to Cabot Cove, Smallville or Eureka. Thankfully Sunnydale was obliterated, so there is one less risky area to move to.

Witness

If you happen to see someone doing something naughty, don’t waste time. I’ve mentioned this before, but it’s worth saying again: never ring the detective (especially in front of the murderer) and organise to meet later in a dark, lonely spot. Madness!

Also, don’t tell everyone in the village pub or the local bar that you know who did the deed, and for heaven’s sake don’t try and blackmail anyone. It never works. Ever.

Tip: If it’s a copper who’s the baddie, you’ll need to move to an Amish village and hope that Harrison Ford gets there in time.

Friends

If you must befriend a homicide detective or amateur sleuth, please do your due diligence. If the name is Barnaby, obviously run like mad (see aforementioned advice regarding Midsomer County) and it’s probably best not to get to know members of the family. In any case, do check how frequently the friends, relations or acquaintances are murdered (or, in a popular twist, arrested for murder).

Sadly, the same goes if you wish to befriend crime writers. This is especially true if the name is Fletcher, but you still might want to exercise caution with other literary types.

Naturally if the writer’s name is Marianne this recommendation does not apply, and such excellent people may be welcomed into your circle of friends without hesitation.

(But of course, I would say that….)

In essence, my approach is to exercise sensible caution and avoid getting too caught up in so-called reality (or at least, the tabloid version of it). What’s your top tip for being safe?

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Plain Truth – Jodi Picoult

ISBN:978-0671776138

Review by: Cecilia Jansink

Plain Truth offers us something rarely seen, a fascinating glimpse into Amish Life mixed with courtroom drama and family ties.

Lawyer Elle Hathaway is taking a break from the rat race and staying with her Aunt and Uncle in Amish country, hoping for a well deserved rest. But when the body of an abandoned newborn baby turns up at the farm of her Aunt’s Amish relations, Elle finds herself defending an unmarried Amish girl charged with murdering her own child. Elle must wade through a minefield of stony silence and animosity towards outsiders in order uncover hidden secrets.

This is one of those stories that will stick with you. Picoult has weaved a highly visual and captivating tale, and handled a confronting subject manner with respect and dignity – not just for her characters but for the readers as well. Plain Truth is different from most crime dramas. The apparent “bad guy” is caught almost from the start but as the facts are brought to life the question is raised as to whether she is as much of a victim of circumstance as the child.  The plot flows along nicely and there are some breathtaking twists and turns. Although Elle is our main protagonist  there are passages told from differing views which has added to the character development and the sense of being a part of the action. Crime fans who love the thrill of the chase may find this lacking but at the same time it is a refreshing change to have a perpetrator that isn’t necessarily evil.

Plain Truth is just one of Picoult’s thought- provoking offerings and while she is not what most consider a traditional  crime novelist, Plain Truth is certainly worth checking out.

Author info can be found at   http://www.jodipicoult.com/

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