Book Review: One Day You’ll Burn One Day You’ll Burn manages to achieve something few novels manage to succeed at doing: create a palpable sense of atmosphere and place. Not only that, but it manages to do so without being heavy-handed or overblown. Focusing on a grisly crime in Los Angeles, Joseph Schneider paints […]
Author Archives: Christopher Chan
Book Review: Jane Goes North
Book Review: Jane Goes North By Chris Chan Jane Goes North, by Joe R. Lansdale, is a comic, picaresque novel where the title character goes on a road trip to her estranged sister’s wedding. As is often the case, the story is more about the journey than the destination, but it’s not […]
Book Review: One More Lie
Book Review: One More Lie The murder of a child is a horrible tragedy. When a child is murdered by other children, that’s horrific. These visceral socio-cultural reactions form the backbone of One More Lie, the story of a convicted killer who just wants a normal life after being released from prison. As […]
DVD Review: Queens of Mystery, Series 1
DVD Review: Queens of Mystery, Series 1 By Chris Chan Queens of Mystery is an amiable crime show, with a promising premise that starts solidly and could blossom into something brilliant in future seasons given the proper writing. The show centers around the investigations of the Stone family. Matilda Stone (Olivia Vinall) is […]
DVD Review: Murdoch Mysteries, Seasons 11 & 12
DVD Review: Murdoch Mysteries, Seasons 11 & 12 By Chris Chan (WARNING: Some oblique spoilers here.) Murdoch Mysteries, the long-running Canadian period mystery-comedy series, is still going strong after twelve seasons. The series stars Yannick Bisson as William Murdoch, a police detective and scientist whose inventions are often ahead of their […]
DVD Review: Veronica Mars: The Complete Fourth Season (2019) [or, The Complete First Season (Revival), depending on who you ask.]
DVD Review: Veronica Mars: The Complete Fourth Season (2019) [or, The Complete First Season (Revival), depending on who you ask.] Veronica Mars is one of the latest beloved series to be revived, and not for the first time. When the show premiered in 2004, it soon earned critical raves and vociferous fans, but the show never […]
Book Review: And Then They Were Doomed: A Little Library Mystery
Book Review: And Then They Were Doomed: A Little Library Mystery As the title indicates, And Then They Were Doomed is inspired by Agatha Christie. Right of the bat, readers should be warned that the endings to about half a dozen Christie novels are referenced here, including And Then There Were None, Murder on the […]
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1
DVD Review: Manhunt: Series 1, Blood, and London Kills, Series 1 This review will cover three newly released Acorn Media UK crime series, two British police procedurals and a Irish family tragedy. Manhunt: Series 1 Based on the memoirs of the police officer at the center of this drama, Manhunt is a three-part […]
DVD Review: The Happytime Murders and Can You Ever Forgive Me?
DVD Review: The Happytime Murders and Can You Ever Forgive Me? Melissa McCarthy had two crime movies released in 2018. They were radically different films with wildly different receptions. One “won” her a Razzie Award; and another earned her Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, as well as a plethora […]
DVD Review: Mr. Mercedes, Seasons 1 & 2
DVD Review: Mr. Mercedes, Seasons 1 & 2 By Chris Chan (WARNING: Some oblique spoilers here.) Mr. Mercedes is based on the Bill Hodges novels of Stephen King. Only the first in the series, Mr. Mercedes, has been read by me. Season one follows the titular book closely, with a handful of […]
Book Review: Agatha Christie’s Golden Age: An Analysis of Poirot’s Golden Age Puzzles
Book Review: Agatha Christie’s Golden Age: An Analysis of Poirot’s Golden Age Puzzles There are many books that summarize the novels of Agatha Christie, but while many companion works address the plots, John Goddard’s book purports to be the first to analyze the placement of clues and how the novels work as fair play […]
DVD Review: Longmire: Season 6
DVD Review: Longmire: Season 6 Some of the best works of crime television of recent decades have attempted to capture the spirit of various regions of the United States, or at least the creative team’s personal interpretations of the heart of the areas. The David Simon series The Wire and Homicide: Life on the Street […]