The novel takes place in Los Angeles, after the events in Dead in the Water.
… continues the story of Stone Barrington, a retired detective turned lawyer/private investigator. …
A panicked call from movie star Vance Calder, who married Stone’s lover Arrington Carter three months ago, tells Stone that Arrington has disappeared and begs him for help.
But by the time Centurion Studios’ private jet lands Stone in La-La Land, Vance is singing another tune: Arrington’s fine, she’s just overwhelmed by her pregnancy, she’s gone away to think things over, she’s phoning Vance every day. …
It was an easy read. But ultimately unimpressive. The BIG finale was a let down.
I ASSuMEd it was some kind of cozy murder mystery.
Not so.
It wasn’t as fun as most of the recent books with older characters.
Older women often feel invisible, but sometimes that’s their secret weapon.
They’ve spent their lives as the deadliest assassins in a clandestine international organization, but now that they’re sixty years old, four women friends can’t just retire – it’s kill or be killed ….
Billie, Mary Alice, Helen, and Natalie have worked for the Museum, an elite network of assassins, for forty years. Now their talents are considered old-school and no one appreciates what they have to offer in an age that relies more on technology than people skills.
When the foursome is sent on an all-expenses paid vacation to mark their retirement, they are targeted by one of their own. Only the Board, the top-level members of the Museum, can order the termination of field agents, and the women realize they’ve been marked for death.
Now to get out alive they have to turn against their own organization, relying on experience and each other to get the job done, knowing that working together is the secret to their survival. They’re about to teach the Board what it really means to be a woman—and a killer—of a certain age.
Starring Margot Robbie as the title character and Ryan Gosling as Ken, the film follows them on a journey of self-discovery through Barbieland and the real world following an existential crisis. …
Like Wicked, I loved the start of the film. The concept. The original look of the sets.
… BUT at some point I got bored. The novelty wore off.
By the end I found it too preachy.
Director Gerwig calls the over the top messaging maximalism.
“heightened theatricality that allows you to deal with big ideas in the midst of anarchic play”
Having read most of the very good Shari Lapena books, I went back to the beginning.
Things Go Flying (2007) was her 1st novel. Very original and interesting. Lapena was a terrific author right from the start.
Harold Walker, desperately average, is in the throes of a mid-life depression.
His wife Audrey clings to an illusory sense of control—over their home, their teenaged sons, Dylan and John, and her own explosive secret.
The death of a long-estranged friend triggers a series of perturbing events that catapults Harold out of his La-Z-Boy and throws the household into chaos.
Things go flying when the dead begin communicating with Harold, leaving Audrey’s secret vulnerable to exposure, and Harold more confused than ever.
What these familiar voices from the afterlife ultimately reveal is just how little the living know about living.
“Things Go Flying is just plain fun, a continual giggle. Hilarious, fast-paced and irreverent, it is about a modern dysfunctional family that could be yours or mine—but thank goodness it is not.” —Owen Sound Sun Times
I immediately started on Lapena’s 2nd book, Happiness Economics (2011), but got bored about half way through.
I’m enjoying the Stone Barrington series of books — but found this one to be weakest of the ones I’ve read.
Stone Barrington and his former cop partner Dino are enjoying their drinks at Elaine’s when former client and all-around sad sack Herbie Fisher walks in…in need of a lawyer.
But while Stone is trying to fend off Herbie, a more welcome potential employer appears: a beautiful woman looking for somebody who somebody else wants dead.
She takes Stone into the posh world of embassy soirees and titled privilege, where high society meets government intrigue.
And when trouble follows him from his Manhattan townhouse to his tranquil summer home in Maine, Stone has to decide what to do with the explosive information he’s uncovered.
Harry Bosch investigates the disappearance of the Gallagher family while Honey Chandler campaigns for District Attorney and Maddie Bosch deals with a series of follow-home robberies.
Bosch’s investigation into the Gallagher case intertwines with a murder investigation, and Chandler’s political ambitions lead to challenges and alliances. Maddie faces personal and professional setbacks, and the season explores the complex relationship between Bosch and Chandler
The “Bosch” franchise, which consists of the original “Bosch” series and its sequel “Bosch: Legacy,” is the longest-running franchise on Prime Video. “Bosch” itself ran for seven seasons, and its sequel, “Bosch: Legacy,” spanned three seasons.
Amazon Prime decided to end Bosch: Legacy here. There will be no season 4.
Stephen Chang as Maurice “Mo” Bassi, Harry’s hacker is excellent. Maybe my favourite character.
While on vacation on the tropical island of St. Marks, Barrington unexpectedly has to defend an American woman, Allison Manning, accused of murder.
She claims her husband died of a heart attack while they sailed across the Atlantic.
Racing to prove the young widow innocent of any wrongdoing pits Stone against a determined protector standing on the verge of becoming the next Prime Minister of St. Marks.
While hoping he doesn’t lose the new love of his life to his own newfound ambition, Stone uses every skill in his possession to protect his client.
Like the other books, there is plenty of gratuitous sex — if you like that kind of thing. 😀
American television producer and screenwriter, and founder of the production company Shondaland. In 2007, 2013, and 2021, Rhimes was named by Time to the Time 100, their annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
Oddly, I didn’t really know anything about Shonda Rhimes before reading her memoir, Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand in the Sun, and Be Your Own Person (2015).
Shonda describes how some criticism from her sister inspired her to say YES to everything for a year. Not easy as she was an obese, insecure workaholic at the time. She’s hired a publicist to avoid public appearances. 😀
With three children at home and three hit television shows, it was easy for Shonda to say she was simply too busy. But in truth, she was also afraid. …
This poignant, intimate, and hilarious memoir explores Shonda’s life before her Year of Yes—from her nerdy, book-loving childhood to her devotion to creating television characters who reflected the world she saw around her. The book chronicles her life after her Year of Yes had begun—when Shonda forced herself out of the house and onto the stage; when she learned to explore, empower, applaud, and love her truest self. …
“Honest, raw, and revelatory” (The Washington Post) …
Hey. Shonda lost over 100 pounds through the process. Respect.
In the last chapter she defends her decision NOT to marry. A successful career woman, Shonda has adopted 2 daughters. Had a third by gestational surrogacy.
She’s too busy to properly spend enough time with a husband.
Click PLAY or watch it on YouTube. Shonda reflects back on the book 10-years-later.
the series revolves around a fictional murder scandal involving the staff of the White House. Produced by Shondaland …
Cordelia Cupp, an eccentric detective, arrives on the premises in order to solve a murder that occurred during a state dinner. During the investigation, interpersonal conflicts between 157 personnel of the residence start to unfold.
For me — the most amazing part of the series is the set. They literally rebuilt the White House as a set.
Rick McCharles 