A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny

On By Rick McIn uncategorizedLeave a comment

A Great Reckoning (2016) is the 12th novel in the Inspector Gamache series. …

Well written and engaging.

As usual, a dumb and impossible-to-believe plot.

At the start of the novel, Gamache begins a new position as the head of the Sûreté Academy, where new cadets are trained for the police force.

Of course a murder mystery is presented. Ganache is one of many suspects.

More interesting to me was finally learning the history of the 3 pines in Three Pines. And finding out why the small village is not on any official Quebec maps.

There’s a film based on these books called “Still Life“.

Click PLAY or watch the location for the film on YouTube.

The Templars’ Last Secret by Martin Walker

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Yet another great novel in the series featuring Bruno, the beloved chief of police of the idyllic town of St. Denis in the Dordogne, France.

When a woman’s body is found at the foot of a cliff near St. Denis, Bruno suspects a connection to the great ruined Château de Commarque, a long-ago Knights Templar stronghold that stands on the cliff above …

With the help of Amélie, a young Haitian newcomer to the Dordogne, Bruno learns that the dead woman was an archaeologist searching for a religious artifact of incredible importance, the discovery of which could have dramatic repercussions throughout the Middle East–not to mention in St. Denis.

And the woman’s ties to Islamic terrorists can only heighten the pressure on Bruno to unravel the centuries-old mystery. …

Goodreads

I was WRONG about anonymity online

On By Rick McIn ethics, Facebook, human rights, internetLeave a comment

It seems self evident that people would be more civil online IF they couldn’t be anonymous.

But research shows that’s not the case.

Perhaps the world expert in governance of online speech, Kate Klonick, concluded that having both public and anonymous options is BEST for reducing hate and increasing the value of social media.

Many, many individuals are unable to speak honestly unless they can be anonymous.

Listen to her interviewed on Pivot.

PLANNING to Hike the Canary Islands

On By Rick McIn hiking, travelLeave a comment

I spontaneously flew to the Canary Islands from the U.K.

Flights are cheap.

Weather is great in November. 😎

On arrival I found you couldn’t easily purchase camping fuel. Nor are hiking guidebooks available for sale.

Surprising.

I decided to stay just one week. And only on Tenerife. Reconnaissance.

But I’ll be back.

The best islands for hiking are:

Some of the best hikes require complicated permits. Some are only open on weekends. I’ll need to do more planning next time.

I’m thinking at least 3 weeks. At least 4 islands.

Buy my hiking books online. Book permits well in advance.

November ➙ February look to be the best months.

There are plenty of European tourists. But I didn’t meet even one American or Canadian over a week.

Also, you need to speak Spanglish here.

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube.

P.S.

Once I bought a cheap flight to Lisbon, I found the fuel canister I needed in a hostel FREE BOX. So I know they exist on the Canary Islands.

They MIGHT be for sale from either Leroy Merlin or Decathlon in Santa Cruz, Tenerife. Some have found them at petrol stations and ferreterias, hardware stores.

Body in the Castle Well by Martin Walker

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

In this one, small town police chief Bruno Courrèges investigates how a visiting American student could have ended up dead in a well.

Another great murder mystery set in France.

Plenty of gourmet food and wine, as well.

Bruno Courrèges initially assumes that she died of an overdose.

But Claudia’s doctor soon persuades him that things may not be so simple, setting Bruno on an investigation that will lead him from the Renaissance to the French Resistance and beyond.

Claudia had been studying with Monsieur de Bourdeille, a renowned art historian who became extraordinarily wealthy through the sale of paintings that may have been falsely attributed—or so Claudia suggested shortly before her death.

Burning Bright by Nick Petrie

On By Rick McIn booksLeave a comment

Book 1 in the series, The Drifter, was good.

This is the second featuring featuring war veteran Peter Ash — Burning Bright — and it’s even more entertaining. I’m hooked.

If you like the Jack Reacher books, you’ll like these.

… Peter Ash sought peace and quiet among the towering redwoods of northern California, but the trip isn’t quite the balm he’d hoped for. The dense forest and close fog cause his claustrophobia to buzz and spark, and then he stumbles upon a grizzly, long thought to have vanished from this part of the country. In a fight of man against bear, Peter doesn’t favor his odds, so he makes a strategic retreat up a nearby sapling.

There, he finds something strange: a climbing rope, affixed to a distant branch above. It leads to another, and another, up through the giant tree canopy, and ending at a hanging platform. On the platform is a woman on the run. From below them come the sounds of men and gunshots. …

interview – 15 Minutes With: Nick Petrie, Author


John Lewis Christmas ad 2022

On By Rick McIn ethics, videoLeave a comment

The John Lewis Christmas ad is now such a big annual tradition that it feels like the official start of the festive season. …

Mashable

Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. This is fantastic.

“Over 108,000 children in the UK are in the care system. We’re making a longterm commitment to support the futures of young people from care.”

Santa Cruz de Tenerife

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

Santa Cruz de Tenerife is the capital of the island of Tenerife, Canary Islands.

The main architectural symbol is Auditorio de Tenerife, not that impressive up close.

Better are the Spanish parks and plazas.

Most tourists head straight to the pool or the beach every day.

Not a beach guy, I spent only about an hour walking this edge of this one — because SHARKS. 😀

Photobomber

A Midsummer’s Equation by Keigo Higashino

On By Rick McIn uncategorizedLeave a comment

Manabu Yukawa, the physicist known as “Detective Galileo“, is speaking at a small coastal town on whether or not to approve an underwater mining operation.

The night after the tense panel discussion, one of the resort’s guests is found dead on the seashore at the base of the local cliffs. The local police at first believe it was a simple accident-that he wandered over the edge while walking on unfamiliar territory in the middle of the night. But when they discover that the victim was a former policeman and that the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning, they begin to suspect he was murdered, and his body tossed off the cliff to misdirect the police. …

Amazon

This time the police don’t ask Yukawa for help. But he decides to solve the crime on his own.

As always, there are subtle and surprising twists and turns.

This book was adapted into a film.

Click PLAY or watch a trailer on YouTube.

Puerto de la Cruz, Canary Islands

On By Rick McIn travelLeave a comment

I enjoyed 3 nights in Puerto de la Cruz on the island of Tenerife.

Staying that long because of the superb hostel with ultra-modern “pods”.

My first impression of “Port of the Cross” was to be disappointed in the waterfront. It’s not nearly as developed as other tourist cities. The beaches are volcanic black stone and ash.

I ASSuME it’s because the Atlantic waves are so massive here. Much of the coastline is protective concrete.

Once finding my way around, there are lovely tourist spots, especially in the evening.

Here’s the plaza closest to my hostel.

Sunset.

One highlight is the botanical garden. Almost anything can grow here.

All in all, tourists are happy in Puerto de la Cruz. Mostly Europeans. I didn’t meet even one Canadian or American in a week on Tenerife. It could be they are in all inclusive resorts.