strange and random happenstance

Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong was a man convicted and hanged for the murder of his wife in 1921 and the attempted murder of his business rival, Oswald Martin, later the same year. He would probably have gotten away with the murder of his wife if not for his attack on his rival, whose father-in-law was the local chemist from whom Armstrong bought the poison used in both cases supposedly to deal with the dandelions in his yard. The practically nonexistent dandelions. The father-in-law put two and two together and the rest, as they say, is history. The case inspired both Dorothy L. Sayers and Frances Iles, AKA Anthony Berkeley Cox. But it was Michael Kitchen and his genius who brought this man so fully to life. First off, let it be known, I am a Michael Kitchen stan. I fell in love with his understated method of crime solving in Foyle's War and worked my way through his back catalog. If you haven't seen him as Branwell Brontë in The Brontes of Haworth I question your dedication to the actor, your love of British miniseries, and your interest in the Brontës themselves. Yes, the absolute fro of hair and mutton chops for days may at first distract you, but once you hear that voice, well, you are in for another classic Kitchen performance. And it's that ability to reel you in, to side with him that this drama uses so deviously. For the first quarter of this miniseries you identify so strongly with Kitchen as Armstrong that you can see why he'd kill his wife. She's portrayed as a demanding harridan. She's unmanageable and untenable and by being given just this glimpse into this couple's life we see that Armstrong really only had one way out. But that's the point, we are given just this slice of life. His views, his opinions, his struggles. Then, after she is dispatched, we see a different side of him. Maybe his wife wasn't how he portrayed her to us. Little hints of who he really is starts to seep in. The womanizing, the venereal diseases. All this comes as a shock and makes you think, how could I have gotten the wrong end of the stick so thoroughly. That is all down to the genius of Kitchen. Once we know the truth and he sets his eyes on Oswald Martin, brilliantly played by David Thewlis the series shifts once more into a dark comedy with Armstrong's ham-handed attempts to get ride of his rival. First he attempts to bump off Martin with poisoned chocolates. But not being able to witness the ingestion leads to a bit of a mix-up. Therefore the second attempt is done under his watchful eye at his home. In other words, his desire to destroy his rival makes him show his hand. This leads to much palaver. Did Armstrong just try to kill him? Wait, were those chocolates him? And then the father-in-law putting it all together. Brilliant. The timing leads to it being humorous without being overplayed. The trio arriving to report their findings to the police is comic gold but also, just three desperate people trying to save themselves. Needless to say, Armstrong doesn't get away with it. But, for a moment, Kitchen made you wish he did.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Dandelion Dead, David Thewlis, Fifty-Five Years a Masterpiece, Foyle's War, Frances Iles, Hanged, Major Herbert Rowse Armstrong, Michael Kitchen, Murder, Oswald Martin, Poison, The Brontes of Haworth, True Crime, Womanizing

If you are a fan of British murder mysteries, you are a fan of Anthony Horowitz. If he did nothing else in his life he would be remembered for bringing Midsomer Murders to the small screen. A show that has been a staple of television since he wrote the adaptation of that first episode, "The Killings at Badger's Drift," over twenty-five years ago. But then he created one of the greatest detectives ever with Christopher Foyle, the star of Foyle's War. So many stars got their start on these intricately plotted mysteries that were almost a British equivalent to Columbo, in that the joy wasn't just solving the crime but in watching how Foyle approached solving the crime. Yet Horowitz didn't limit himself to television, he was a successful author. He predominately wrote children's and YA until 2011 when he wrote the first officially licensed Sherlock Holmes book since the death of Conan Doyle, The House of Silk. Soon after the Ian Fleming estate asked him to take over the Bond franchise. Yet inbetween these behemoth undertakings he started two series of his own, one staring himself and one staring editor Susan Ryeland. The first book in Susan's series, Magpie Murders, came out in 2016, which means I finally got around to reading it when they announced the miniseries in 2021. I might have had a few issues with the story but what really intrigued me was how Anthony Horowitz himself was going to adapt it for the small screen. This is only the second time he has adapted one of his books, and I don't think anyone saw Stormbreaker did they? Therefore I had to wonder, would he solve some of my issues with the story or perhaps make them worse? And as for some of the big reveals, they wouldn't work in a visual medium. The twist that everyone in the Pünd story has a real life counterpart is handled with clever dual casting. This is fun and lets you not have to laboriously connect the dots yourself. Of course by using this technique Horowitz is diminishing the importance of the story within the story. It isn't until the fifth of the six episodes that we get to spend any real time getting a handle on the crime Pünd is investigating. Therefore we are spending too much time with Susan and not enough with Atticus. Yes, by having Susan interacting with Atticus we get that much needed hit of the genius Tim McMullan, but I almost wish I could have watched Magpie Murders without the present day. Because my main problem with the book was Susan Reyland. Let's just say the casting of Lesley Manville sure was surprising. By aging her up her career made more sense. Sadly this change as well as an added delicious twist of the knife from author Alan Conway couldn't save the character for the majority of the miniseries. Somehow in the final episode Lesley's prodigious acting talents raised above the material and gave the overall show a very satisfying ending. But I really think it could have been more. Look to episode five and six, look to the ingenious flashback complaining about flashbacks, look to the vitriol spewing out of Conleth Hill as Alan Conway, and this could have been magnificent. Instead it's serviceable with touching moments and really shitty CGI magpies. I mean half my issues could have been solved with better birds. The light source is wrong on them for crying out loud! At least the opening credits were trying Emmy worthy.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Alan Conway, And the Emmy Goes To, Anthony Horowitz, Atticus Pund, CGI, Columbo, Conleth Hill, Foyle's War, Lesley Manville, Magpie Murders, Midsomer Murders, Susan Ryeland, The House of Silk, Tim McMullan

The original adaptation of The Forsyte Saga is what birthed Masterpiece Theatre. Without that series we wouldn't be celebrating fifty years of British television right now. Though aside from Michael York and Susan Hampshire the original series lacks name recognition. That's where this version really knocked it out of the park; Damian Lewis, Gina McKee, Rupert Graves, Ioan Gruffudd, Corin Redgrave, Barbara Flynn, Amanda Root, and Ben Miles! You have freakin' Horatio Hornblower in it! Plus so many up and coming actors like Julian Ovenden who should have SO married Sam on Foyle's War. I mean seriously, her husband is a loser and she deserved to officially be Foyle's daughter! I will forever be pissed by this until Anthony Horowitz rewrites the last few seasons. He can take time out from being a big time author to do this! He can multitask I'm sure of it. This miniseries set up to be lush while the original was the last series to be fully filmed in black and white. It's like they had something to prove and prove it they did. One of my favorite touches is the dress that Irene Forsyte is wearing on the cover of the DVD set (see above.) This dress is an exact replica of the dress from John Singer Sargent's painting Madame X, except in red. Little touches like this are seen throughout the series. Especially in the house Robin Hill. A fictional house my dad loves so much he's willing to move into it immediately. But what this series is most known for is how gut-wrenching it is. You will be non-stop crying through the entire series. Therefore it takes fortitude to watch it. Being prepared doesn't help. But I think this emotional release is why I love it so much, and in particular the second series. When Young Jolyon Forsyte played by Rupert Graves lies dying and his daughter June played by Gillian Kearney is copiously weeping that she cannot live without him, I felt it so deep in my bones that I think I might have had a little nervous breakdown that only giving my dad a big hug could fix. That night I couldn't stop crying this series forever took up a little corner of my soul and I wouldn't change it for the world. 

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anthony Horowitz, Barbara Flynn, Corin Redgrave, Damian Lewis, Daughters, Fathers, Fifty Years a Masterpiece, Foyle's War, Ioan Gruffudd, John Singer Sargent, Madame X, Robin Hill, Rupert Graves, The Forsyte Saga

The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz
Published by: Forge
Publication Date: November 1st, 2011
Format: Hardcover, 294 Pages
Rating: ★
To Buy (different edition than one reviewed)

Watson has always hesitated sharing this story. He felt it was too shocking and would destroy the fabric of society. But as a world war rages he once again puts pen to paper. Holmes is gone and he feels this story needs to be told, though he will request that it is withheld for one hundred years so that hopefully society will not be as scandalized. The adventure started as many did, as Holmes and Watson sat in front of the fire of 221B Baker Street. A Mr. Carstairs arrived wishing for their assistance. He was an art dealer who inadvertently got on the wrong side of a thuggish Irish gang in Boston called "The Flat Cap Gang." He has reason to believe one of the two ringleaders has followed him to London to exact revenge. Holmes and Watson quickly resolve his problem as the man, the supposed Keelan O'Donaghue, ends up dead and the case is closed. But in actuality it is just the beginning. In finding "Keelan O'Donaghue" one of the Baker Street Irregulars has gone missing. Usually this wouldn't be a cause for concern, but there's something about the way young Ross reacted to seeing Mr. Castairs at the crime scene that has Holmes wondering. As Holmes digs further into the case of Ross he starts to hear mention of "The House of Silk." Holmes is certain that if he could only find out who or what this organization is that everything would fall into place. But even Mycroft warns him to back away, and soon Holmes is in grave danger. Whomever they may be, The House of Silk doesn't want Holmes exposing them and eliminating one detective, no matter how famous, is a small price to pay in their eyes.

There is no doubt that Anthony Horowitz is talented. If his only legacy was Foyle's War he'd be good as gold. But he also helped adapt Midsomer Murders for television as well as Poirot, not to mention the wonderful mini-series Injustice he created, they are all wonderful fare. But for me he's polarizing. For every right move he makes, he makes a wrong one, like marrying Sam to that numskull Adam. That sin alone deserves some sort of punishment, like being slapped silly with a large fish. Sam was meant to end up with Andrew! But then again, Julian Ovenden doesn't seem to be able to catch a break, he loses Sam and then Lady Mary on Downton Abbey chucks him for Matthew Goode. So for all my love of Anthony Horowitz, there's some hate in there as well, and a lot of that hate is now centered on The House of Silk. This predictable mess of a mystery doesn't deserve to be endorsed by the Conan Doyle Estate, it needs to be burned in effigy as a crime against the legacy of Sherlock Holmes. There are so many good books out there that are reimaginings and continuations of Holmes it baffles me that this is the one given the seal of approval, that little mark of Sherlock in his deerstalker hat with the shadow of Conan Doyle and his walrusy mustache. The most mind-boggling thing about The House of Silk is how Horowitz seems to purposefully set out to undermine all other non-canonical books. It's not enough that he's "official" but that everyone else has to be wrong. He is forcibly trying to change every preconception other writers have given Holmes over the years. Holmes doesn't outlive Watson, Mycroft is also equally indestructible, living to an old age despite his corpulence, which Horowitz takes glee in elucidating. Horowitz is the new voice of Holmes and he won't let there be any ifs, ands, or buts about it.

Horowitz spends too much time randomly answering questions that have popped up over the years without regard to anything but his whim. Holmes wasn't at Watson's wedding, Watson had three children in his second marriage, Mary died of typhoid fever, and on and on, just throwing out little tidbits that will appeal to those with an obsessive desire to know everything about these characters. Yet these little glimpses would have worked had Horowitz proved he actually knew Holmes and his canon. It becomes quickly apparent that Horowitz is a dilettante when it comes to Holmes so therefore all these little insights come across as self-indulgent crap as he tries to leave his mark on a greater writer's legacy. The canonical issues would drive any true fan to distraction. While I wouldn't say I'm an obsessive, I would say that the least he could have done was got it right in order to earn that badge of honor from the Conan Doyle Estate. The scenario that drove me most round the bend was when Horowitz repeated almost verbatim the scene of Holmes baffling Watson with his "mind-reading" abilities that was originally in "The Adventure of the Cardboard Box" but was reused in "The Adventure of the Resident Patient." It wasn't reusing this scene for a third time that annoyed me most, it was what came after. One of the key parts of this original scenario was Watson and his newly framed picture of General Gordon and his contemplation of framing his portrait of Henry Ward Beecher to make a matching set. Yet in the bizzaro world of Horowitz where things like canon don't matter, the portrait of General Gordon came with the flat! Excuse me? Antony Horowitz broke canon, one that was doubly stated, just so that Holmes could have a throw-away line about how the walls of 221B Baker Street don't actually reflect him because he didn't chose any of the hangings. Where did I put that giant fish...

But canonical issues aside (yeah I agree that sounds unlikely), but seriously, even if we are able to do this, it can't change the fact that Horowitz isn't able to capture the voice of Conan Doyle through Watson. He isn't able to do what a children's author did with a story about mice. Wrap your mind around that if you will. Here Watson is a whiny little bitch. I kid you not. In the canonical books he's all stoic and I'll grab my service revolver and follow you into the gates of hell, while being a little melodramatic about the whole thing, and maybe once or twice staying by the fire to tend to his war wounds. Here it's all whining and whinging and oh his aches and pains. I actually wanted to punch him in the shoulder and be like, "how's your wound now bitch?" Yet it's not just about his overnumerous physical problems that I take umbrage, it's the fact that Watson is so overly loquacious and verbose, leading to the whole book feeling overwritten. If I ever thought that Watson was long winded before, I take it all back. Bring back the real Watson and get rid of this imposter! This upstart who thinks it's cool to mention all his old cases again and again. Guess what? Watson doesn't do that in actuality, he only mentions old cases occasionally, and if he does mention other cases, it's ones we've never read about, he's never so self-referential and meta. Gaw, make it stop. Yet it doesn't stop. The sloppiness with the canon and with Watson even carries over to all aspects of The House of Silk and it's writing. The book's internal chronology doesn't even work! How could Carstairs marry his wife six months before he even met her?

Repeatedly saying to myself "but if Horowitz had just..." isn't going to change anything. It's not going to magically make an editor who happens to be fluent in the canon of Sherlock Holmes appear and fix the book, because there is no way to fix this book. And there's a part of me that thinks a lot of the sloppiness might have been done on purpose. That maybe the muddle was there for a reason. At one point there's a meta aside wherein the characters discuss the tangle the two cases are making and how they seem to be getting more entwined versus less. Yes, this did piss me off, this signalling that Horowitz knew how he was infuriating me. But more importantly it shows that the muddle was on purpose. So, why would an author purposely muddle his book? Because he couldn't be bothered to create a half decent mystery and is throwing as many fish at you of the herring variety so that you won't notice this deficiency. Guess what "Tony." It. Did. Not. Work. Your book is 294 pages. You introduced the character of Ross on page 52, less than ten pages later, on page 61 I had the entire mystery solved. I had to read a further 233 pages of obfuscations and interferences and Watson's whining to have my deduction validated. Seriously, this isn't how you write a mystery. You don't read about a quarter of a book and go, oh, so this, this, and this happened, that's it. A book shouldn't be as easy to solve as a mystery on TV which can usually be deduced by the casting choices. I wanted something, I don't know, that actually made me invested in the book, that made me want to flip to the next page, that wasn't just the desperate need to make it end.

As for the mystery itself... we are supposed to find it shocking. That, after all, is the gimmicky reason that Watson withheld it for one hundred years, despite the fact that Holmes's arrest and various other incidents would have made the papers and would have therefore had to have been included in the original canon but are somehow overlooked. And the saddest thing is that the mystery isn't shocking. The book seems to be nothing more than a reflection of the British press of today. Because this is nothing more than the cover-up of another sexual abuse scandal wherein high ranking government officials are using orphans and street kids to satisfy their disgusting pedophiliac desires. Seriously, google "child sexual abuse UK" and there are over a dozen notable cases of these "rings" uncovered just within the past five or so years! Yes, this is horrifying. Yes this should be shocking, but the sad truth is that with it constantly being on our television screens and in our newspapers we have become desensitized to it but at the same time hyper-aware so that I could solve the mystery of The House of Silk in a matter of minutes. There have been other narratives of similar cases in books, films, and television. Heck, even the Inspector Morse spin-off Endeavour's pilot was about such a sex ring. This is sadly something that happens in the world, and if it's happening now it must have been happening than, so all in all, not much a mystery, just a sad reflection of reality, which most of us could do without when we are reading to escape. Plus, this has added a whole creepy undertone to the Baker Street Irregulars that I could have done without. Though the final thought I am left with is, would this case really have effected Holmes so? Would he have been moved? This Holmes was, the canonical Holmes, that's highly unlikely.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Anthony Horowitz, Arthur Conan Doyle, Baker Street Irregulars, Canon, Endeavour, Foyle's War, Inspector Morse, Julian Ovenden, Midsomer Murders, Mystery, Sherlock Holmes, Sherlocked, The House of Silk, Watson

Name: Caroline Martin

Dream Character Casting for the Lauren Willig Dream Movie Adaptation: Addie

First Impression: He Knew He Was Right. Playing the young Dorothy Stanbury she is heartbreaking when she tells her Aunt Stanbury that she will not marry Brooke Burgess because her Aunt doesn't wish it. When she confesses that she loves him so much and she never thought that she could be loved in return then was she melts that hard Aunt's heart and everyone gets a happy ending I cried and cried.

Why they'd be the perfect actor for the Lauren Willig Dream Movie Adaptation: She has the look to match Rachel Stirling, so they could be cousins. But more importantly, she has that bookish, independent nature, or at least through her acting I envision she has, that would lend itself to Addie. Also, she has an appearance that you might first overlook, but when she smiles it lights up the room.

Lasting Impression: He Knew He Was Right. She got it in one.

What else you've seen them in: She actually hasn't been in much, but what she has been in she was memorable, ie, He Knew He Was Right. But she did hit the big murder mysteries, with Inspector Lynley, Poirot and Foyle's War. She was also in Byron with Johnny Lee Miller and the much touted film, Happy-Go-Lucky.

Can't believe it's them: She was in Byron... I really need to rewatch that sometime, because I remember very little of it...

Wish they hadn't: Left Foyle's War! Ug, she was perfect for Milner and then they recast her! Now, I don't know if this was her decision or not, but the new Mrs. Milner has no chemistry with him. I mean they had a spark, you rooted for them, and then we get her recast with a milksop!

Bio: She originally was going to be an Astrophysicist, but then she became involved in the Edinburgh Footlights and was cast as Sally Bowles and that, as they say, was that.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Addie, Byron, Caroline Martin, Dorothy Stanbury, Foyle's War, He Knew He Was Right, Inspector Lynley, Poirot, The Ashford Affair

As the Emma Spotlight continues, we turn to one of the more dubiously happy couples in Hartfield... but still, perfectly suited.

Name: Christina Cole

First Impression: What A Girl Wants, as Caroline Bingley's (Anna Chancellor's) daughter in what I like to fondly call, the revenge of the Bingleys. They want Darcy, and they want him now! Ironic that Christina went on to play Caroline in Lost in Austen.

Lasting Impression: Hex... ah, you little show that had so much hype and then failed miserably to meet all expectations... odd that once Christina's character, Cassie, was murdered the show was steadily getting better and then was abruptly cancelled.

What else you've seen them in: Christina is one busy busy lady. From appearing in some of the top TV shows to the best miniseries: Foyle's War, Marple, Doctor Who, Poirot, Jane Eyre, He Knew He Was Right, Lost in Austen to name a few. She is also slowly building a name in films, from Miss Pettigrew Live for a Day to Casino Royale. When you see Christina's name attached, you know it's like a standard for quality, a real seal of approval.

Can't believe it's them: Totally hitting on Jemima Rooper's Amanda in Lost in Austen! Too, too perfect, plus nice to have the shoe on the other foot from what was happening on Hex.

Wish they hadn't: I often forget that it is her in What a Girl Wants so have a few minutes of happiness, till Amanda Bynes shows... worst actress EVER. Why couldn't Jonathan Pryce, Anna Chancellor and Christina killed her and dumped her in the Thames? So I wish she hadn't let Amanda Bynes live.

Bio: Totally awesome in everything. But my favorite might be riding a donkey in the new Emma...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:00 AM 3 comments  

Labels: Amanda Bynes, Caroline Bingley, Christina Cole, Doctor Who, Emma Spotlight, Foyle's War, He Knew He Was Right, Hex, Jane Eyre, Jemima Rooper, Lost in Austen, Poirot, What a Girl Wants

Now we move on from The Secret History of the Pink Carnation, to some of Richard Selwick's nearest and dearest... the stars of The Masque of the Black Tulip (at least in my head)... his sister, Henrietta, and his best friend Miles, who will be along shortly.

Name: Perdita Weeks

Posted by Miss Eliza at 12:31 AM 0 comments  

Labels: Foyle's War, Henrietta Selwick, Honeysuckle Weeks, Lauren Willig, Lewis, Lost in Austen, Midsomer Murders, Miles, Perdita Weeks, Pink Carnation Spotlight, The Masque of the Black Tulip, The Tudors

Crocodile Tears: An Alex Rider Novel by Anthony Horowitz
Published by: Philomel
Publication Date: November 17th, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 352Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"It's just another day in the life of an average kid. If you're Alex Rider, that is. A con artist has realized there is big money in charity-- the bigger the disaster, the greater the money flow! So that is what he will produce: the biggest disaster known to man, all thanks to genetically modified wheat that can release a virus so potent it can knock out an entire country in one windy day. But Alex Rider will face whatever it takes--gunfire, explosions, hand-to-hand combat with mercenaries-- to bring down his most dangerous adversary yet.

Often imitated, never equaled, the series that triggered a reading phenomenon is back, exhilarating and addictive as ever."

Last night's Masterpiece "No-Longer-Theater" presentation of Collision not enough Anthony Horowitz for you? Watched all the episodes of Foyle's War currently available? Went through all the episodes of Midsomer Murders and Poirot he wrote and even broke into Crime Traveler, conceivably the worst named show ever, according to my brother? Need another hit? Well, lucky for you a new Alex Rider novel is out this week! The seventh book in the extremely popular book series (it did fail as a movie after all so I can't really claim popular franchisement...) by Anthony Horowitz is finally available. Pushed to pre-Christmas publication to cash in on the meager amount of money people will be able to spend this holiday season, it's sure to be on the top of a lot of reader's lists. I love Anthony Horowitz, omnipresent and obviously OCD, he literally writes all scripts for his shows. Plus if you head on over to his website, you can't believe the amount of research and travel he devoted to his newest book just to make sure everything was right. I don't think I could say that about many Young Adult author's books... He's also on tour for this book, the cities have been announced but I have no further information other than I'm bitter it's nowhere near me! Boston, Detroit, St Louis, Raleigh, Atlanta and Washington DC are all on his itinerary... go check out this genius in the flesh if you have time or frequent flier miles to cash in...

Shadowland by Alyson Noel
Published by: St. Martin's Griffin
Publication Date: November 17th, 2009
Format: Hardcover, 368Pages
To Buy

The official patter:
"Ever and Damen have traveled through countless past lives—and fought off the world’s darkest enemies—so they could be together forever. But just when their long-awaited destiny is finally within reach, a powerful curse falls upon Damen…one that could destroy everything. Now a single touch of their hands or a soft brush of their lips could mean sudden death—plunging Damen into the Shadowland. Desperate to break the curse and save Damen, Ever immerses herself in magick—and gets help from an unexpected source…a surfer named Jude.

Although she and Jude have only just met, he feels startlingly familiar. Despite her fierce loyalty to Damen, Ever is drawn to Jude, a green-eyed golden boy with magical talents and a mysterious past. She’s always believed Damen to be her soulmate and one true love—and she still believes it to be true. But as Damen pulls away to save them, Ever’s connection with Jude grows stronger—and tests her love for Damen like never before…"

The next book in the popular Immortals series by Alyson Noel. Ashamed to say I haven't read these yet, and they look so good... hmmm perhaps I should go to that while all the faithful are out devouring this newest installment...

Posted by Miss Eliza at 2:41 AM 1 comments  

Labels: Alex Rider, Alyson Noel, Anthony Horowitz, Collision, Crime Traveler, Crocodile Tears, Foyle's War, Midsomer Murders, Shadowland, The Immortals, Tuesday Tomorrow

In trawling the ever expansive web I found another cool contest. Over at Fantastic Book Review they are having a competition to win signed copies of Evermore and Blue Moon by Alyson Noel. So go check it out, everyone likes free stuff, and especially books right?

And in other giveaways news, I've finally won a goodreads giveaway! I don't really know how many competitions I've entered in the time I've been a member, but I finally won! And not just any book, a book by that genius Anthony Horowitz. If you don't know who Anthony Horowitz is you really have been living under a rock. Even if you don't know any kids who worship him for his Alex Rider or Gatekeepers/Power of Five books you must have watched Foyle's War? One of the best BBC mystery series set during World War II starring Michael Kitchen, Anthony Howell and Honeysuckle Weeks. Or Midsomer Murders, Anthony Horowitz was the head writer for all the early episodes and his wicked wit was a trademark the writers continued to employ after he left to do bigger and better things (ie Foyle's War). Or Poirot, you have to know Poirot and Anthony Horowitz did all the early dramatizations of that show. He's literally omnipresent and a true workaholic, currently re-launching Foyle's War, writing the next Alex Rider, working on a few other TV shows, a screenplay, a play and numerous writing festivals...does this man actually ever sleep? Anyway, look for my review of Anthony Horowitz's Gatekeeper's/Power of Five Book Four, Necropolis coming to the blog hopefully soon.

Posted by Miss Eliza at 4:10 PM 0 comments  

Labels: Alyson Noel, Anthony Horowitz, Blue Moon, Evermore, Fantastic Book Review, Foyle's War, Goodreads, Midsomer Murders, Power of Five, The Gatekeepers