With Drew Barrymore at the helm of this project, you would be mistaken for thinking this was all about the boobs and butt and less about the heart. Who can forget the lollypop wielding Cameron Diaz doing the bum dance in her undies and telling the delivery guy he can stick things in her slot. Mm There’s some quality script writing.
This is the reloaded; yes that’s the new buzzword “Reloaded”, version of the 1970’s TV show that shot Farrah Fawcett to hair style fame.
For anyone who hasn’t managed to see some of the reruns, the current series, or the movies of which there were two; the foundation storyline is about the rich Charlie Townsend (voiced this time around by Victor Garber) giving ex-cons a second chance to use their skills, previously used for personal gain and criminal activity, to fight crime and injustice in and around Miami Florida.
Abbey was a high society cat burglar, Kate was a good cop gone corrupt, Eve was an expert at boosting high end cars, and Gloria was a military girl gone bad. The girls are helped with technology by the computer hacker expert/ tax fraud king Bosley played by the smoulderingly hot Ramone Rodriguez.
Episode one, Angel with a Broken Wing, has the girls Abbey (Rachael Taylor) Kate (Annie Ilonzeh ) and Eve (Minka Kelly) trying to crack a child smuggling operation that just happens to have connections with the death of their fellow Angel, Gloria (Nadine Velazquez).
Between the explosions, the cat suits, the death defying climbing scenes, the grand entrances, and the hot cars, there’s a half decent storyline that was easy enough to follow. There wasn’t too much foretelling, though at times you were wondering why they were wipping out their Ipads (or whatever tablet product it was) and not just flipping the information up on a big screen tv. WiFi people.
If you’re looking for an entertaining show that won’t make your brain hurt and has more double sided celebrity tape than an Oscars red carpet, check it out. The premier timeslot was 7:30pm on Channel 9. Who knows what time it could be moved to depending on ratings. Check your local TV Guides for next week’s episode.
Arrabella Candellarbra & the Questy Thing to End All Questy Things is the debut novel for newly minted author, A K Wrox.
It’s clear from the outset that this isn’t your average bodice-ripping, er, fairy tale, well um… comic fantasy and romance – with a hint of the erotic. Yes, it does have a heroine, a hero, a fairy prince and the wisest of all wizards, and yes, it’s a quest story. It’s all these things and much, much more.
The author’s crazy creativity is sheer genius. Arrabella Candellarbra is an adventure filled to the brim with quirky pop culture references and double, no triple, entendres. It’s reminiscent of those much-vaunted full-bodied wines that leave the tasters or, in this case, the readers, with a fabulous story that lingers, plays with the mind, and threatens, even days later, to gurgle and burble into full-bellied laughter.
You won’t want to put this story down; you’ll leap from one page-turning moment to the next. The brilliant repartee and endless witticisms will hold you in thrall until the last page. Then, like me, you’ll pick it up and read it again, in case you missed some morsel of mirth.
The story? Well it’s about Arrabella the chosen one; Lord Gary, the wisest of wise wizards; Prince Jim, the very fey fairy prince; and Lord Langley Kilkenny, the perfect specimen of manliness. Their quest has them pitted against the evilest of evil beings: the crone, Betty Sue, and her dastardly minions: the Barrella Monkeys, the Vicious-Tongued Frogs and, worst of all, the Sawtoothed Bunnies.
It’s also about love, lust, loyalty, sexual shenanigans, high kicking carry-ons, side-splitting hilarity, naughty to-dos, trickeries and troubles.
I’ve had the privilege to read this first offering by A.K. Wrox (who in reality is the talented duo of Amanda Wranglesand Kylie Fox) and can’t recommend it more highly. Both authors have taken honours in the Sisters in Crime Annual Scarlet Stiletto Awards and individually write in other genres.
This is a tale of epic and hilarious proportions and while they may think that they’ve completed their story, I feel that the reading public will demand much, much more.
Marianne here: I just wanted to pop in with some news.
Firstly HUGE CONGRATS to AK Wrox (Kylie Fox and Mandy Wrangles who are both treasured writers with MDPWeb) on the launch of their book Arrabella Candelabra today. We’ll have a review of it for you very soon.
Secondly, Tara Sharp 3 is powering along with Tara having adventures on the streets of Fortitude Valley, Brisbane. Who knew a place could be so dangerous! Very soon she’ll be heading home to Perth where things don’t let up!
Lastly, I’ve been reading Tana French and I have to say I haven’t enjoyed a series of crime novels so much ever. I’m not skim reading at all (a bad habit I have) but am enjoying every single word. Brilliant characterisation! Would love to meet the author. If you haven’t read them then YOU SHOULD!
You don’t need to be a cop to catch the baddies any more. Well, to be honest, in crime fiction you never did—from Nero Wolfe to our own Tara Sharp, private investigators have been outsmarting both cops and crims for decades.
But I’ve never fancied the life of a PI, so I’ve been checking out other options. Here are my top picks.
It seems that would let me interview suspects, wield a gun (even better if it’s comical), collect clues and get my hands on any amount of sexy high-tech gadgetry. Best of all, I’m likely to be surrounded by cops who just aren’t quite as smart as me, so I’ll get to explain the science to them in condescending tones, and that has to be fun.
Perhaps there’s an opening for a series with a forensic accountant (Cashed Out) or a forensic astronomer (Death Stars)? Perhaps not.
Psychologist
Although the cops and other agencies have their own profilers, the real fun happens when you let the civilians loose on the scene.
There’s the expert who can tell when you’re lying, like Tim Roth’s wonderfully eccentric Cal Lightman in Lie to Me. With a dodgy past and a distinctly personal set of morals, he loves nothing better than to outwit the cops.
Or how about The Mentalist, reformed carnie and scam artist, played by Australia’s own Simon Baker. He can manipulate and second-guess his way through any case. But his recent success in catching—and killing—the man who murdered his wife and kids will land him in jail.
And all that walking around in a murderer’s mind can’t be fun. Poor old Cracker was a train wreck of a man, and I’m sure his job had something to do with it. No, that’s not for me either.
Amateurs
I’m using the old meaning of the word amateur, from the same Latin expression that gives us the word amorous, is “someone who does something for the love of it”. Amateur sleuths do it for the love of it, not in order to get paid or because they have another agenda (such as doing research).
Here we find Miss Marple and Lord Peter Wimsey, pottering about the English countryside or the streets of London, investigating murders simply because they can.
Amelia Peabody fits here, too, along with her archaeologist husband Radcliffe Emerson. During expeditions to Egyptian digs, she and her family tumble in and out of murder, espionage and intrigue in a most satisfying way.
But the true amateur sleuth either has a job which supports and allows for their ratiocination (as Amelia would say); or has independent means. Which leaves me out of the picture.
Writer
Now that’s more like it! These are some of my favourite crime fighters—the WRITERS.
These days, bestselling crime writer Richard Castle (the gorgeous Nathan Fillion—pause for moment of fangirl distraction) has teamed up with cop Kate Beckett to keep murder to a minimum in New York City. In a dizzying display of circular promotions, a real novel entitled Heat Wave was released in 2009. The novel features a fictionalised version of the already fictional Castle (are you still with me?)—who enters into a partnership with Nikki Heat, the character inspired by (the fictitious) Castle’s own (fictitious) relationship with (fictitious) Kate Beckett. Now the (fictitious) Castle even has his own (real) website.
No, that’s all too complicated for me.
Solution
I’ve got it! I’m simply going to let the sleuths and PIs and consultants and cops and writers do their jobs, while I kick back and enjoy from the comfort of my couch. I can even yell the solution at the TV screen when I figure it out before they do. Perfect.
In the stunning latest offering from forensic anthropologist and author Kathy Reichs, we enter a world of fast cars, cold cases, right-wing politics and stonewalling from the FBI.
When a hand is found submerged in a rusty drum packed with asphalt at the dump next to the Charlotte raceway; Tempe Brennan knows things are going to get complicated. After all, it is race week and the reporters are already circling the story like sharks after bait, but before a proper examination can be carried out, the FBI confiscate the evidence and conveniently have it destroyed.
No one gets between Dr Brennan and her quest for answers – not even the Feds. When a NASCAR engineer brings her the story of the 12 year old disappearance of his sister and her boyfriend, Tempe is more determined than ever to discover the truth. Only problem is more bodies pop up than answers.
I must admit I am a huge fan of Reichs but the last few novels had, in my opinion, fallen a little flat. Thankfully, “Flash and Bones” has the feel of classic Tempe and reminds us of why she became such a phenomenon in the first place.
“Flash and Bones” is a high octane tour through the shady dealings of militant groups, NASCAR and its groupies, and the lengths the FBI will take to ensure national security. Throw a certain forensic anthropologist into the mix and you know for sure things are about to take a deadly and dangerous turn.
It is as though Reichs has gotten back to basics and focused more on crafting a suspenseful murder mystery than Tempe’s topsy-turvy love life. Sure we still get a glimpse into what is happening behind the scenes: there’s new drama with Pete and Summer; Ryan still has her puzzled; and there’s a new hunk-o-spunk on the scene – but the balance is perfect.
The characters are larger than life, the plot thick and fast, and the humour quick witted. And in my opinion, what’s the best thing about delving into Tempe’s world? There is always something new to learn, whether you’re a new reader or not.
So step out the pits and onto the circuit, and join Tempe for one heck of a ride.
In this age of uncertainty it is good to know that some people have their survival priorities in the right order. And while there are plenty of zombie survival guides out there few take the time to dive into the academics of post infestation life as the Official Zombie Handbook (Australia).
The usual topics are covered in the Handbook – fortifications, supplies, weapons and transport – as well as a slew of in depth subjects such as how prepared the Australian government civil and military forces would be in case of a zombie outbreak. It’s rather surprising how accurate the articles get in fact; either the authors have made some great guesses or they have insider knowledge that they shouldn’t.
Reading through the handbook it is often difficult to discern whether it has been written as a preparedness manual, role-playing guide or a critique of human nature. Whatever it is it does it well. Not even a third of the way through my first read and I was already calculating how long the food in my cupboard would last and whether I had enough toilet paper to see me through till help arrived.
In a sense of seriousness the Handbook reads as a series of fictional essays; each focused on the minutiae of survival topics. The writing is clean and well formed with plenty of laughs and more than a few points to leave you thinking.
Three members of a family are brutally slaughtered; the young son the only survivor left in the house but with multiple stab wounds, his survival was a close call. The case seems personal so grave fears are held for an elder sister who lives away from the family home. Will the killer go after her next?
Detective Inspector Joona Linna takes on the case at his own demand, but with no witnesses, aside from a deeply traumatised and comatose boy, Linna doesn’t know where to start. Obsessed with finding the truth, Linna turns to disgraced specialist Erik Maria Bark for assistance. Bark is The Hypnotist but he’s sworn never to practise again. When he finally relents and agrees to hypnotise the boy, a chain of events that none of them could see coming is unleashed and the consequences are far reaching for all of them.
The premise of this book is fantastic and has all the hallmarks of a great book but, unfortunately, didn’t quite manage to live up to them. I can’t say I didn’t enjoy the book, I did, but not as much as I wanted to.
It’s impossible to avoid drawing comparisons to other books as the Scandinavian crime juggernaut continues to roll, but this book is very different from many of its counterparts. The Hypnotist is set in Sweden but, unlike others, the characters and the story are universal – this book could have been set anywhere in the world.
Parts of this book were terrifyingly creepy and the suspense is drawn right throughout but as the intensity builds, parts begin to unravel. Several plot points were left unresolved, info-dumps abound and unfortunately, not a lot surprised me. I had the ending well figured out long before the author was willing to reveal it.
The story is told in present tense which, whether due to translation or the author’s mistakes, wasn’t done quite well enough to pull it off. Too often, an awkward phrase would pull me out of the story and remind me that I was merely reading a book so that I couldn’t fully immerse myself in the world.
The multiple character points of view, though in itself not an issue, were done in such a way that often the reader is left feeling yanked out of a characters head and thrown into another. There is also an inordinate length of time before we’re taken back to the previous character to continue their thread.
The Hypnotist was intelligently written and contained some great, if chilling, insights into the characters psyches and behaviours and the long-reaching consequences of each of their actions but just falls a little flat.
This book has an almost cinematic feel to it and would probably translate better in film than it does on the page.
Despite all this, it was an enjoyable and interesting read and worth taking a look at. Perhaps you’ll see something in it that I didn’t.
The stakes have never been higher for Sean King and Michelle Maxwell, Secret Service agents turned private investigators. An alleged serial killer, Edgar Roy, has been locked away in the new federal facility ‘Cutters Rock’; a psychiatric prison located in isolated Maine.
Ted Bergin, an old friend and mentor of King, is Edgar Roy’s attorney. He summons the pair to investigate the allegations against his client. Nearing their destination on an isolated stretch of road they see the emergency lights flashing from a car. In the car they find Bergin – dead – murdered.
King is determined to avenge his friend’s murder and investigate the case against Edgar Roy . When the duo tries to question Roy in the Cutters Rock facility, they discover that since his arrest he has retreated into a catatonic-like state.
The bodies start to pile up as King and Maxwell begin to unravel the details of the case. The pair stumble across a secret government operation called ‘The Wall’. What is the Wall and how is it connected to Edgar Roy? Why are the nations top security forces involved? As King and Maxwell delve further, it leads them into increasingly dangerous territory. What follows exposes the corruption, greed, ambition and infighting in the highest levels of government.
The Sixth Man is the Baldacci’s fifth adventure for King and Maxwell. As a standalone, or for readers already familiar with the characters, this is a fast moving, complex thriller, full to the brim with plots and subplots. Baldacci has created interesting and thought-provoking characters where love, loyalty and betrayal are played out in a tense, fast paced storyline, with a few surprises along the way.
I did feel that the multiple journeys of King and Maxwell were a little repetitive. Doubtless the reader will overlook this as the storyline is so fast paced, so gripping, that it may be a welcome pause that allows you to catch your breath. As always Baldacci is the master craftsman.
Ex-cop, Jack Whalen’s wife goes missing on what should be a routine business trip and Jack’s search for her produces more questions than it does answers.
Gary Fisher, a childhood acquaintance, reappears in Jack’s life asking for help with a puzzle, a will and some unsolved murders.
A ten-year-old girl meets a sinister stranger and disappears.
Jack’s search for the truth of his wife, leads him into the kind of darkness that he didn’t know, or believe, could exist. How do all of these threads connect? How do all the secrets of the past impact on these apparently separate cases and on the future of them all?
This is one hell of a good read. In fact, one of my favourite books in a long time. It is dark, it’s creepy and often, just plain disturbing.
The boundaries between crime, the paranormal and science fiction are blurred to the extent that trying to categorise it is near impossible. The Intruders is a psychological thriller, that much is certain, and one of the finest examples of its kind. This book will stay with you, the messages it imparts stay with you, the characters haunt you, long after the last words are read.
I began reading this book without any indication that it was anything other than a straight crime thriller and was surprised, pleasantly, I might add, when the story evolved into something “other.” What that “other” is, I can’t say without spoilers. But, be prepared for a shift in the storyline and the genre.
The plot is so intricate with so many separate threads and ideas that a lesser writer may have lost his way. Not so, Marshall, who weaves a rich tapestry of the seemingly unrelated threads and ties them together beautifully – all without ever losing the chillingly sinister mood that is created right from the outset.
An absolute must-read for lovers of the dark side, particularly those who like their crime with a supernatural bent. You won’t be disappointed.
Thanks to Paula Tapiolis at ABC.NET, I got to see this article which talks about DRONE JOURNALISM. This is so eerily reminiscent of the Priers in the Parrish Plessis novels that I got goose pimples when I read it. Here’s a picture of them: As an author, it’s kinda of stomach churning to think you were heading [...] […]
Reviewed by Cels Jansink When the body of a famous Hollywood director is found covered in an occult tattoo and embalmed in the cement floor of his own film set, N.T.A trainee Kannon Dupree is hired to return to 1939 to find out just who put him there. Unfortunately, this particular director had a habit [...] […]
Charlie’s Angels Reloaded.
gone bad. The girls are helped with technology by the computer hacker expert/ tax fraud king Bosley played by the smoulderingly hot Ramone Rodriguez.
