It's Criminal

Spoiler warning – there will be some spoilers here, so read on with caution if you have not seen all the episodes.  Death and Dreams is an excellent example of why I like Midsomer Murders. Just when you think you've got the measure of the series, out it pops with another surprise. The surprise is not who the killers are or their age; it is the glee and total lack of remorse that they have. The motive for the killings is not the usual fare either. It also turns out they've been killing for longer than Barnaby and Troy realise.  John Nettles and Isla Blair (playing the head psychiatrist) have good chemistry, making the two characters' fondness for each other more realistic.  Serious kudos go to the young performers playing the serial killers. The role is not easy for older, more established performers to take on without "hamming it up", yet these three get the balance spot on. Even at the end, when Hannah is revelling in telling Barnaby and Troy all about what they&

The Inspector Morse book series was another novel series that I was introduced to through a TV series (this also happened with Nero Wolfe and Midsomer Murders). All of Colin's novels were made for the small screen. The first of these was The Dead of Jericho in 1987. The last was (not surprisingly)The Remorseful Day in 2000.  I was excited at the prospect of reading the novels as I'd enjoyed the series, and John Thaw's performance as the titular Morse sealed the deal for me. He was ably accompanied by Kevin Whately as Sargent Lewis. I knew there would be differences between text and screen, as there almost always are but I was not daunted.  I was delighted when I was able to purchase the entire collection of books and made my through them. As expected, some parts were changed or removed from the TV series. However, in most cases, I didn't feel that they had been detrimental to the stories or characters. A few of the books stood out more than the others for me. These were

  The League of Frightened Men is the second of Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books and the first that had a character in it that creeped me out.  The consequences of a youthful prank may be the motive behind the deaths of two men and the disappearance of a third. Wolfe and Archie need to discover just how far the wronged party would go to get revenge.  All the characters in this novel are well constructed, even if they are not a major character. This is one of the things I like about Rex Stout, he didn't skimp on his characters.  The plot is a little stretched but it does not ruin the plot as it avoids becoming tedious.  This book also sees Nero Wolfe become the man of action, a rarity in itself but wonderfully done. Wolfe may not be as physically capable as he was in his youth, but his superb brain more than makes up for it. 

From series 1-13, Detective Chief Inspector Tom Barnaby had three sidekicks. 1. Detective Sergeant Gavin Troy The original (and, in my opinion, the best) sidekick who sticks around for 6 series until he's promoted to DCI (and Daniel Casey who played him, wanted to move onto pastures new).  His character was softened from the original novels though some of the isms and jumping to conclusions without much to go on is still there. If they hadn't given him a more three dimensional character, it wouldn't have worked as well.  He's brighter than the Troy of the books but is still green in the first few episodes. Thankfully, he finds his stride and it is great watching him grow. He was the first sidekick to make a brief reappearance (more on who the other one is when I write about John Barnaby's sidekicks). 2. Detective Sergeant Daniel (Dan) Scott Not a popular one among the fans, Scott is very different to Troy. He's cocky, set in his ways (initially) and sees being p

  Spoiler warning – there will be some spoilers here, so read on with caution if you have not seen all the episodes. My praise rings out for Ring Out Your Dead. There is an excellent mix of comedy, drama and mystery. However, once you discover why the dastardly deeds, it stretches things a bit. Mind you, people have been killed for less.  Graham Crowden was delightful playing another eccentric old duffer (he played Tom in Waiting for God), though it turned out not as barmy as it first seemed. Carmen Du Sautoy vamps it up enough as Rosalind to make the character sexually intimidating but not terrifying. Daniel Casey excels at showing Troy's fear and attraction to her. He's like a mouse caught in a delicious trap. The comedic scenes between Rosalind and Troy are as sweet as they are funny.  Our killer, Maise Gooch, is one of the most benign-looking characters they've ever had (even more so than Richard Briers in Death's Shadow) and confirms that it is the quiet one you sh

Fer-de-Lance is the first in the series of Nero Wolfe books, written by Rex Stout between 1934 and 1975.  When I first found out about Nero Wolfe, the books were much harder to get in the UK. As a result, I ended up reading them out of order. I've decided to review them in chronological order.  This book is a strong opener for getting a feel for genius private detective Nero Wolfe and his legman Archie Goodwin. The reader is also introduced to other main, recurring characters, such as Fred Durkin, Fritz Brenner and Saul Panzer.  A murder goes unrecognised due to the victim dropping dead on a golf course with no obvious way that he could have been anything other than natural causes. However, the disappearance of the brother of a friend of Fred Durkin's wife soon has Wolfe and Archie on the case.  Fer-de-Lance is one of my favourite stories. It sets the scene and pace for the others that follow. The story is well-paced without skimping on detail. Like Watson for Sherlock Holmes,