Well, it's not quite Christmas yet but we've started watching Christmas movies -- not planned -- but as I'll explain, forced.
Last year we watched our copy of Walt Disney's "The Santa Clause" with Tim Allen. Tim plays Scott Calvin and he becomes Santa Clause after the "real" Santa falls off his roof. Lots of comedic adventures follow leading to a satisfactory ending with his son and his ex-wife and her husband all becoming believers.
We wanted to watch the follow up movie, "Santa Clause 2" last year but, since we didn't have a copy, I requested one from our library. Do you know how many other people also requested it? Too many for us to receive it before the holidays so I went back on the list and requested it for November of this year and it arrived about a week ago.
So...we rewatched our copy of "The Santa Clause" and tonight watched "Santa Clause 2" so I can return the library copy for all those people out there that want to see it again this year.
In "Santa Clause 2" our new Santa discovers he has 28 days to marry if he wants to remain as Santa -- talk about pressure! While he's off pursuing a wife, the workshop is in an uproar. I had never seen this second movie and it was a great follow up to the first one. So...if you're ready to start thinking about Christmas, this is a good way to start. pazt
Sunday, November 26, 2017
"Scandal At Six"
If you've been following my blog, you know that I've been reading Ann Purser's Lois Meade Mystery Series in order. I've just finished "Scandal At Six" and this one seems to have a little different flavor than the previous ones and it did keep me guessing right up until the end.
Although the Meade daughter, Josie, has married Matthew, a policeman nephew of Inspector Hunter Cowgill, she has not given up running the shop down the road from her parents, who own the building it is housed in. Since she no longer lives in the shop above the store, it's common knowledge in the village that her parents will be looking for a suitable tenant to replace her.
When Josie opens the shop one day and comes face to face with a large snake and other ensuing creeping crawlies over the next few days, it is time for Lois to do some sleuthing to ensure her daughter's safety. The snake belongs to a local zoo run by Robert Pettison and he is in need of a clearner so she installs Dot Nimmo to keep an eye on him and his zoo.
Pettison had dismissed his former cleaner and she had an accident at the zoo soon after but has survived and is recuperating slowly. A zoo handler died when he was bitten by a snake that he trusted a little too much.
Unknown to Josie and her parents, the new tenant in the flat, Justin, is the nephew of Pettison and has been helping him important endangered species illegally to sell to select buyers. When Justin's father dies, he wants to rid himself of the dealings with Pettison and is trying to figure out how to escape his uncle's clutches. When his uncle accidentally falls down the stairs and ends up in the hospital, Justin and his uncle's mistress take over the running of the zoo and the last of the imported illegals.
Another death leads Lois and Inspector Cowgill to solving that murder as well as uncovering the illegalities at the zoo. The murderer is a surprise but not a totally unlikely suspect! pazt
Although the Meade daughter, Josie, has married Matthew, a policeman nephew of Inspector Hunter Cowgill, she has not given up running the shop down the road from her parents, who own the building it is housed in. Since she no longer lives in the shop above the store, it's common knowledge in the village that her parents will be looking for a suitable tenant to replace her.
When Josie opens the shop one day and comes face to face with a large snake and other ensuing creeping crawlies over the next few days, it is time for Lois to do some sleuthing to ensure her daughter's safety. The snake belongs to a local zoo run by Robert Pettison and he is in need of a clearner so she installs Dot Nimmo to keep an eye on him and his zoo.
Pettison had dismissed his former cleaner and she had an accident at the zoo soon after but has survived and is recuperating slowly. A zoo handler died when he was bitten by a snake that he trusted a little too much.
Unknown to Josie and her parents, the new tenant in the flat, Justin, is the nephew of Pettison and has been helping him important endangered species illegally to sell to select buyers. When Justin's father dies, he wants to rid himself of the dealings with Pettison and is trying to figure out how to escape his uncle's clutches. When his uncle accidentally falls down the stairs and ends up in the hospital, Justin and his uncle's mistress take over the running of the zoo and the last of the imported illegals.
Another death leads Lois and Inspector Cowgill to solving that murder as well as uncovering the illegalities at the zoo. The murderer is a surprise but not a totally unlikely suspect! pazt
Wednesday, November 22, 2017
"The Complete Inspector Lewis" DVD Series Pilot and 3 more episodes
Since we were having difficulty finding the Inspector Lewis Masterpiece Mysteries on Roku, I decided to check out the pilot and first three episodes from our library. One of the difficulties with that is that sometimes they're not in good shape and we miss portions. Overall, we were able to get the gist of what was going on.
This series was inspired by the Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter and we were a big fan of the Inspector Morse series. Inspector Lewis is an entirely different type of policeman than Morse and is portrayed by Kevin Whately. His younger Detective Sergeant James Hathaway is played by Laurence Fox and they're a good match. The series is set in Oxford as was the Inspector Morse series.
The series pilot brings Lewis home from a two year assignment in the British Virgin Islands where he went after his wife was killed by a hit and run driver. He immediately has a murder to solve on his arrival home.
The next episode, "Whom The Gods Would Destroy," unearths secrets from the past. "Old School Ties" involves Oxford Students, a convicted computer hacker turned best-selling author whose wife went to school with Lewis and is an "old flame." The last on this DVD is "Expiation" when a suicide turns out to be a murder and Lewis has to delve into why this North Oxford housewife was murdered.
These are good mysteries but a little grim at times -- just like Morse! pazt
This series was inspired by the Inspector Morse novels by Colin Dexter and we were a big fan of the Inspector Morse series. Inspector Lewis is an entirely different type of policeman than Morse and is portrayed by Kevin Whately. His younger Detective Sergeant James Hathaway is played by Laurence Fox and they're a good match. The series is set in Oxford as was the Inspector Morse series.
The series pilot brings Lewis home from a two year assignment in the British Virgin Islands where he went after his wife was killed by a hit and run driver. He immediately has a murder to solve on his arrival home.
The next episode, "Whom The Gods Would Destroy," unearths secrets from the past. "Old School Ties" involves Oxford Students, a convicted computer hacker turned best-selling author whose wife went to school with Lewis and is an "old flame." The last on this DVD is "Expiation" when a suicide turns out to be a murder and Lewis has to delve into why this North Oxford housewife was murdered.
These are good mysteries but a little grim at times -- just like Morse! pazt
Thursday, November 9, 2017
"The Second Girl"
"The Second Girl" is a novel by David Swinson who is a retired Washington Metropolitan Police Department detective. This novel features Frank Marr who is a decorated former police detective in Washington, D.C. who retired early and supplements his retirement income working as a private eye for a female defense attorney.
Although Marr is a good detective, his secret is that he is a longtime drug addict and, so far, he's managed to keep that secret from even those closest to him - not that there are that many who are close to him!
While Marr is watching a group of young men selling drugs, he accidentally happens upon a young woman they have captive in their home. He frees her and becomes an instant hero to the community and her parents. When another family who knows this family asks him to investigate the disappearance of their daughter almost a year ago, he reluctantly accepts because he suspects she may already be dead or sold off into sexual slavery. What follows is a wild ride through the drug world.
It's a good read which I think I picked up off the library's new book shelf. "Crime Song" is the next book in the series by Swinson and I'm going to look for it next. pazt
Although Marr is a good detective, his secret is that he is a longtime drug addict and, so far, he's managed to keep that secret from even those closest to him - not that there are that many who are close to him!
While Marr is watching a group of young men selling drugs, he accidentally happens upon a young woman they have captive in their home. He frees her and becomes an instant hero to the community and her parents. When another family who knows this family asks him to investigate the disappearance of their daughter almost a year ago, he reluctantly accepts because he suspects she may already be dead or sold off into sexual slavery. What follows is a wild ride through the drug world.
It's a good read which I think I picked up off the library's new book shelf. "Crime Song" is the next book in the series by Swinson and I'm going to look for it next. pazt
Tuesday, November 7, 2017
"Phantom Prey"
"Phantom Prey" is John Sandford's 18th novel in the Lucas Davenport series and this one is one of his best yet in my opinion.
When Alyssa Austin comes home to find a smear of blood in her house but no sign that there has been a break in because the alarm hasn't been tripped, she assumes her daughter, Frances, had stopped in. When Frances is nowhere to be found, the police begin investigating as if it it s murder.
Lucas is in the midst of helping with security details for an upcoming Republican convention in his area plus he is also involved in a watch on the wife of a drug lord who has skipped town. He and other officers spend time watching her apartment from a surveillance point across the street because they're sure he'll slip back into town to see her and they want to catch him when he does.
Enter Weather (Lucas' wife) who is a friend of Alyssa Austin and Alyssa asks her to convince Lucas to look into her daughter's case. The Austins are a prominent family so it doesn't take much for Lucas to convince the Governor that he ought to be involved in the case. When several of Frances' friends are murdered and Lucas himself is shot, the investigation begins to heat up in earnest and Lucas works with the other investigating officers as well as Alyssa to figure out what is going on.
I'm not sure where Sandford gets his story ideas but this one is fascinating and like nothing I've ever read before. If you like a good mystery, it's a must read -- but I think I say that about all of Sandford's books! pazt
When Alyssa Austin comes home to find a smear of blood in her house but no sign that there has been a break in because the alarm hasn't been tripped, she assumes her daughter, Frances, had stopped in. When Frances is nowhere to be found, the police begin investigating as if it it s murder.
Lucas is in the midst of helping with security details for an upcoming Republican convention in his area plus he is also involved in a watch on the wife of a drug lord who has skipped town. He and other officers spend time watching her apartment from a surveillance point across the street because they're sure he'll slip back into town to see her and they want to catch him when he does.
Enter Weather (Lucas' wife) who is a friend of Alyssa Austin and Alyssa asks her to convince Lucas to look into her daughter's case. The Austins are a prominent family so it doesn't take much for Lucas to convince the Governor that he ought to be involved in the case. When several of Frances' friends are murdered and Lucas himself is shot, the investigation begins to heat up in earnest and Lucas works with the other investigating officers as well as Alyssa to figure out what is going on.
I'm not sure where Sandford gets his story ideas but this one is fascinating and like nothing I've ever read before. If you like a good mystery, it's a must read -- but I think I say that about all of Sandford's books! pazt
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