When Phil Kramer is shot dead on a deserted suburban street in the middle of the night, his wife, Emily, is left with an emptied bank account and a lot of questions.
How could Phil leave her penniless?
What was he going to do with the money?
… Jerry Hobart has some questions of his own.
It’s none of his business why he was hired to kill Phil Kramer. But now that he’s been ordered to take out Kramer’s widow, he figures there’s a bigger secret at work — and maybe a bigger payoff.
As they race to find the secret that Phil Kramer so masterfully hid, both Hobart and Emily must question where their true loyalties lie and how much they owe those who have been unfaithful to them.
This novel takes a unique turn by placing Pickett’s three adult daughters in the leading roles while Joe himself fights for his life after a brutal ambush.
The Investigation: Joe’s daughters—Sheridan, April, and Lucy—refuse to wait for the new sheriff’s investigation and decide to find the attacker themselves.
The Three Ranches: The “Crossroads” of the title refers to a junction where three different ranches meet, each owned by a family with a motive to kill Joe.
The Thompsons: A billionaire couple involved in a top-secret development project.
The Bucholzes: Owners of a cattle company that may be a front for more sinister activities.
The McElwee Sisters: Rumored to be involved in an illegal drug trade.
The Daughters’ Roles: The three sisters split up, each investigating one of the suspect ranches simultaneously to avoid tipping off the culprits.
Surprisingly, fan favourite Nate Romanowski is only an incidental character in this one.
Reviews for Season 2 of Hijack are significantly more polarizing than the acclaimed first season.
Not nearly as good, in my opinion. The plot less clear. Some episodes dragged.
I did like the very end of the finale. A smart conclusion.
Two years after the flight KA29 hijacking, Sam Nelson (Idris Elba) finds himself caught in another hostage crisis, this time on a Berlin underground U-Bahn train.
Idris Elba can do no wrong for me. He’s the main reason to watch.
The Murder at World’s End (2025) historical mystery novel by Ross Montgomery, marking his debut in adult fiction. It is the first installment in a new series titled Stockingham & Pike.
Set in 1910 Cornwall, the story revolves around the real-world mass hysteria following the appearance of Halley’s Comet.
The Premise: Fearing an apocalypse caused by the comet’s “poisonous tail,” the eccentric Viscount of Tithe Hall seals every window, door, and keyhole of his remote island estate to protect his household.
The Murder: Despite the absolute lockdown, the Viscount is found dead in his sealed study the following morning, shot with an ancestral crossbow.
The Investigation: With a local inspector determined to frame a young under-butler named Stephen Pike due to his past criminal record, Pike teams up with the foul-mouthed, sharp-witted 80-year-old family matriarch, Miss Decima Stockingham, to find the true killer within the manor.
Jane Hawk knows she may be living on borrowed time. But as long as she’s breathing, she’ll never cease her one-woman war against the terrifying conspiracy that threatens the freedom—and free will—of millions.
Battling the strange epidemic of murder-suicides that claimed Jane’s husband, and is escalating across the country, has made the rogue FBI agent a wanted fugitive, relentlessly hunted not only by the government but by the secret cabal behind the plot.
Deploying every resource their malign nexus of power and technology commands, Jane’s enemies are determined to see her dead . . . or make her wish she was.
Jane’s ruthless pursuers can’t stop her from drawing a bead on her prey: a cunning man with connections in high places, a twisted soul of unspeakable depths with an army of professional killers on call.
Propelled by her righteous fury and implacable insistence on justice, Jane will make her way from southern Southern California to the snow-swept slopes of Lake Tahoe to confront head-on the lethal forces arrayed against her.
Dad died March 9, 2025, at night, peacefully in his sleep.
Both the Canadian Red Cross and B.C. Health Care system were fantastic supporting his final days.
I was thinking this would be the way I’d like to go.
All palliative care was delivered in the home. Better than the hospice or hospital, in our experience.
___________________
I’d always liked the photo below on a German document. Dad had it posted on the fridge.
We could assume it was a military I.D. from his years serving with the Canadian Armed Forces in Deutschland — BUT it turned out to be his German Fishing Licence from 1962.
I’m posting this photo as it preceded the injury suffered while Dad was playing hockey for the Canadian Forces team. He lost an eye from a skate to the face which led to a medical discharge from the Army.
… Dad loved fishing. He owned 6 boats over his lifetime.
End of life came shockingly quickly.
One day we were grocery shopping and downing chicken wings at the local eatery. The next his bodily systems began to shut down.
One of the first warning signs was a loss of interest in watching his favourite TV shows: Hogan’s Heroes, Perry Mason, Matlock, Father Brown, Bonanza, Beverley Hillbillies, Green Acres.
Dad loved routine. Every day the same schedule. Any change not appreciated.
Here’s a slideshow of photos from his retirement years. Dad died age-94 — still with a driver’s licence.
Dad and I spent many days at French Creek Marina watching birds in the river delta.
Mom & Dad bought insurance in 2014 which paid for most of their funeral expenses. In fact, all we had to do was make one phone call to a 24 hour / day number and most of the arrangements were made for us. It simplified things immensely when we were grieving.
In addition, they’d simplified their estate as much as possible. We still had one investment that required probate, but the rest was very easy.
Rubbernecker (2014) is an award-winning crime novel by Belinda Bauer that follows Patrick Fort, a medical student with Asperger’s Syndrome who suspects the cadaver he is dissecting was murdered. Most reviewers describe it as a dark, original, and compelling thriller with a uniquely well-drawn protagonist.
According to The Sunday Times, “one of the most startling plots in contemporary crime fiction”.
Patrick Fort: An anatomy student who sees the world through the lens of his neurodivergence.
The Coma Patient: A significant portion of the book is told from the perspective of Sam, a man in a “locked-in” state after a car accident.
… detailed accounts of car crashes and anatomy lab dissections may be too gruesome for the squeamish.
Best news is the Dar es Salaam bus rapid transit system under construction. It reminds me of the excellent system I used in Rio.
Unfortunately progress has slowed after the death of President John Magufuli who initiated the program. Locals blame corruption.
Best thing I did in Dar was a personal half day cycling tour of the city. We visited very local coffee shops, candy shops, digital movie library, African herbal medicine shop, ghetto movie theatre, 2nd biggest market, and much more.
Making Peanut Brittle. This entrepreneur sells coffee and candy on the street, especially at bus stops.
We finished with a soft drink in my guide’s local bar.
A walking tour of the downtown business centre wasn’t all that interesting.
Better was the Kijiji cha Makumbusho, or Village Museum, an open-air ethnographical centre showcasing traditional huts from 16 different Tanzanian ethnic groups.
Rick McCharles 