Category Archives: Posts By Genre

Special Circumstances in the Law, Crime Fiction, and Daily Life

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First of all, some definitions, taken and slightly adapted from Wikipedia: Special circumstances in criminal law are actions of the accused, or conditions under which a crime, particularly homicide, was committed. Such factors require or allow for a more severe punishment. Special circumstances are elements of the crime itself, and thus must be proven beyond a reasonable doubt during the guilt phase of the trial. As such, they are formally … Continue reading →

Sheldon Siegel’s Books in the Daley/Fernandez Series

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Attorney Mike Daley – Ex-priest. Ex–public defender. And ex-partner in one of San Francisco’s most prominent law firms. He works with his ex-wife Attorney Rosie Fernandez. in Daly’s private practice as criminal defense attorney. In later books, they both go back to work in the public defender’s office. Good people protagonists. The books are listed below. Special Circumstances (2000) MBC Selection for Oct 28, 2022 Incriminating Evidence (2001) Criminal Intent … Continue reading →

A Quick Guide to Every Michael Connelly Film Adaptation

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Here is some information for my fellow Bosch fans: 2022 is a great year for Michael Connelly fans! Both The Lincoln Lawyer and Bosch are getting new series adaptations. Of course, this isn’t the first time Michael Connelly’s works have been adapted for film or television! Here’s a quick and easy guide to every Michael Connelly film adaptation so that you can make sure you don’t miss out on a single one of them. … Continue reading →

Absolute Certainty by Rose Connors

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Absolute Certainty by Rose Connors was published in 2002, and won the Mary Higgins Clark Award in 2003. Connors went on to write three more legal dramas, ceasing in 2005. This book appealed to me because (1) I like “legal thrillers” (or courtroom dramas, lawyer-mysteries, etc), (2) It takes place on Cape Cod where I lived while in high school, and (3) it was a new-to-me author in this genre. … Continue reading →

On Reading “What Rose Forgot” by Nevada Barr (Right After Reading Tana French’s Book)

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Nevada Barr is know for her well-done, 19-book mystery series featuring Anna Pigeon, a park ranger working in various U.S. National Parks. These are serious books that are a blend of cozy and police procedural, although some characters are a bit quirky. I was recently attracted to Barr’s standalone book, What Rose Forgot, after reading the blurb on Goodreads: In New York Times bestselling author Nevada Barr’s gripping standalone, Rose … Continue reading →

Thoughts On “The Likeness” by Tana French

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SPOILER ALERT THROUGHOUT – SORRY. I did not enjoy this book personally, and although it was thoroughly enjoyed by other members of the Mystery Book Club – all of whom I respect and appreciate – I would not recommend this book to others. Basically, what follows are the reasons I disliked it. It was hard to get into it in the first 3 chapters (96 pages). Very slow beginning. By … Continue reading →

Remote Controlled Car Crash as a Murder Weapon

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Like it or not, new cars are filled with computers which make them vulnerable to a remote controlled car crash. Cars are loaded with electronic control units which can be hacked. Wifi, blue tooth, and other access points can allow a car to be controlled remotely. As I pointed out in the December 30th (2016) Mystery Book Club meeting, two recent books include fictional accounts of murder in which the assassin crashes the victim’s car … Continue reading →

Looking forward to hearing Gerry Boyle! Join me!

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Gerry Boyle, author of a dozen mystery books, is the guest speaker at an open meeting on Thursday evening, January 28, at 6:30 pm at the Manchester Public Library (MA!). Boyle will speak briefly about his own background as a journalist and how those experiences shaped his mystery novels.  His chief character is Jack McMorrow, a fictional  reporter who has settled in central Maine after several years in New York … Continue reading →

The 500 by Matthew Quirk

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I read the The 500 in three sittings: Thursday evening, Friday afternoon, and Friday evening. Apart from going to the Mystery book club meeting and sleeping, it was continuous. So, yep, it was a page-turner. It is a book that is similar to The Firm (Grisham) and Paranoia (Finder) but instead of the lead character becoming enmeshed in a law firm or a high tech company, it is a lobbying … Continue reading →

The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax – In So Many Ways

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The Unexpected Mrs Pollifax Did Not Satisfy Us

What do you see in the famous illustration on the right: The vase or the two faces? It depends, right? So it was today as I reflected on The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, the book by Dorothy Gilman that our mystery book club read for February and that we met to discuss today. While I am a mystery book fan and a lover of thrillers and police procedurals, my wife is … Continue reading →