AKA - John Banville.
Having read the first two of Black's Quirke series, I could not wait to get my hands on this one and it doesn't disappoint.
My favorite protagonist these days is the very human, very flawed, but very intelligent detective (as in the Erlander books by Arnaldur Indridason and Henning Mankell's Wallander. I've been gravitation toward the Nordic writers with a vengeance; Quirke is a nice change of pace.)
Okay: he's not technically a detective but he sure solves crimes like one.
Quirke is intriguing because of his background, his troubled relationships, his intelligence. I haven't finished this book yet, but I'm enjoying it tremendously so I think I'll get back to it before my lunch hour is over.
I have had so many books come and go this year that I just could not get round to reading so I've made a list, and when the waiting list diminishes, I will have another go.
Showing posts with label British mysteries. Show all posts
Showing posts with label British mysteries. Show all posts
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Hamish MacBeth
I have been watching the
Hamish MacBeth tv series, based on the books by M.C. Beaton. I confess to not having read the series or any of the books so I was in the dark. Was this comedy or drama I wondered. It was hard to tell.
Episode One begins with a man standing in a strem catching a salmon with his bare hands,then running from a man with a rifle and a dog. Hamish MacBeth dons his constable cap and steps out of a police van while the poacher jumps in the back. MacBeth covers for the fisherman who hunkers down among various paraphanalia and MacBeth's yappy Westie. The same episode (I think) involves wife beating and murder. I guess you can have both in one TV show but it was hard to believe that the constabl's heart was really in police work after the salmon incident.
Personally I think the problem may be the actor, Robert Carlyle, who plays MacBeth. He's neither funny, tough, brooding, or sexy. He's a smallish, wiry kind of guy with a perpetual scowl, and difficult to understand. It looks as if most of the female characters could take him down with a soft lob to the chin, must less one of those hulking Scottish criminal types. Not only that, he hasn't a single hair on his chest.
I did wonder where had I seen him before. Lo and behold, not long ago I watched him in 24: Redemption, the prequel to the 6th? 7th? season of "24". In that, I thought he did a good job. Before that (after consulting with IMDB.com), I realized he was in another pretty good series, The Last Enemy, which gave a chilling look at a near-future of complete government surveillance into every aspect of our lives. He did an excellent job of portraying an enigmatic character who kept you guessing as to his motives and intentions. The series itself was a futuristic view of what can happen when government surveillance becomes more and more pervasive and invasive. In an interview, the producer said that it was necessary to continuously rewrite the script as they realized much of the techonology they portrayed was not futuristic but was actually being used now. {{shudder}}
The Hamish MacBeth series never clicked with me, although I watched three episodes. I'm not a cozy mystery reader so maybe that's why. I like my mysteries with plenty of police procedurals and little humor. Realistic, I suppose you'd say, ala Prime Suspect or Wire in the Blood
Hamish MacBeth tv series, based on the books by M.C. Beaton. I confess to not having read the series or any of the books so I was in the dark. Was this comedy or drama I wondered. It was hard to tell.
Episode One begins with a man standing in a strem catching a salmon with his bare hands,then running from a man with a rifle and a dog. Hamish MacBeth dons his constable cap and steps out of a police van while the poacher jumps in the back. MacBeth covers for the fisherman who hunkers down among various paraphanalia and MacBeth's yappy Westie. The same episode (I think) involves wife beating and murder. I guess you can have both in one TV show but it was hard to believe that the constabl's heart was really in police work after the salmon incident.
Personally I think the problem may be the actor, Robert Carlyle, who plays MacBeth. He's neither funny, tough, brooding, or sexy. He's a smallish, wiry kind of guy with a perpetual scowl, and difficult to understand. It looks as if most of the female characters could take him down with a soft lob to the chin, must less one of those hulking Scottish criminal types. Not only that, he hasn't a single hair on his chest.
I did wonder where had I seen him before. Lo and behold, not long ago I watched him in 24: Redemption, the prequel to the 6th? 7th? season of "24". In that, I thought he did a good job. Before that (after consulting with IMDB.com), I realized he was in another pretty good series, The Last Enemy, which gave a chilling look at a near-future of complete government surveillance into every aspect of our lives. He did an excellent job of portraying an enigmatic character who kept you guessing as to his motives and intentions. The series itself was a futuristic view of what can happen when government surveillance becomes more and more pervasive and invasive. In an interview, the producer said that it was necessary to continuously rewrite the script as they realized much of the techonology they portrayed was not futuristic but was actually being used now. {{shudder}}
The Hamish MacBeth series never clicked with me, although I watched three episodes. I'm not a cozy mystery reader so maybe that's why. I like my mysteries with plenty of police procedurals and little humor. Realistic, I suppose you'd say, ala Prime Suspect or Wire in the Blood
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