TV Series review: The Sister Boniface Mysteries

If you are a cosy murder mystery fan, The Sister Boniface Mysteries is right up your alley. Set in a small fictional village in the Cotswolds, one that rejoices in the dramatic name of Great Slaughter (one wonders of what?), this is the place for plenty of murders—as one can see, small villages are hotbeds of intrigue, mystery, and death. Sister Boniface (brilliantly played by Lorna Watson) is a Catholic nun at St. Vincent’s convent who spends much of her time solving murders, using new-fangled scientific techniques, and making undrinkable wine, using old-fangled techniques. Although the Reverend Mother of the convent frowns upon Sister Boniface’s propensity for solving crimes, she does allow the good sister some leeway. After all, someone must solve the murders!

Bolstering the crime solving squad are Max Brown as Detective Inspector Sam Gillespie; Jerry Iwu as Felix Livingstone, a Detective Sergeant on secondment from Bermuda, whose dream is to be assigned to Scotland Yard; Miranda Raison as Ruth Penny, the up-and-coming newspaper reporter; and Ami Metcalf as Constable Peggy Button. Belinda Lang stars as Mrs Clam, Sam and Felix’s landlady. Robert Daws is Chief Constable Hector Lowsley, who seems very confused that society is actually considering incorporating the fairer (aka weaker) sex into jobs such as police work and science. For such a small village, there are murders a-plenty, and one might even say Great Slaughter’s crime fighting squad gives Father Brown a run for his money!

Some questions hesitant viewers might ask: will I enjoy it? Of course you will; what’s not to like about a murder mystery? Is it funny? You will scream with laughter. Will I enjoy the characters? If you loved Fawlty Towers, ‘All ‘Allo, and the like, this is the series for you. Is it racist? Everyone keeps mixing up Felix’s home country of Bermuda with Barbados, but I don’t think that counts. Are the stories good? Absolutely! Is it socially and politically correct? Not at all so if that’s what bothers you, don’t watch. Are the characters stereotypes? Definitely, and they are just adorable. Mrs Clam is a real scene-stealer and is so funny that I am sure she must have everyone falling about laughing behind the scenes.

No, seriously, this is one of the best and funniest series I have ever watched. It is set in the 1960s and the period detail is superb. The not-a-romance between the attractive, career-driven Ruth and the handsome (if a bit thick in the women department) Sam, who love to hate each other and accuse each other of ruining the investigation, police and reportage, is also very sweet, especially since everyone else can see the sparks flying and feel the sizzle between them. There is no wokery although a couple of episodes veered that way, saved only by historical truths. The themes addressed also include the aftermath of World War 2, social issues of a changing Britain, and the development of women’s roles in a new society. But these are all handled within the ambit of the murder mystery and the fun and high jinks that abound, so fear not, you won’t be getting a lesson in anything. Just a darn good murder investigation! Well worth watching. I can’t wait for series two!

TV Series review: Don't Miss Manhunt!

 

Manhunt is a true crime UK series starring Martin Clunes as DCI Colin Sutton, a now retired Inspector (Senior Investigating Officer) with the London Police Department. The first season covered the crimes committed by serial killer Levi Bell and his apprehension. The second season covered the truly heinous and chilling crime spree of serial rapist Delroy Grant who terrorised the nation for over 17 years. I won’t focus on the details of the stories themselves which have been publicly recorded but want to discuss the actual productions. The criminals are real people who ran amok with their rampant crimes. In the case of Grant, he was a criminal with a clever modus operandi and a tell-tale signature. While Levi Bell was a clumsy killer, Grant was a sly and elusive predator.

For me the second season was the most moving and I almost did not watch it. Once I started viewing, I was riveted. There are no theatricals and dramatics here. The episodes unfold as if the audience is shadowing the Inspector and his team themselves. The daily drudge of finding clues, only for these to be dead ends, the wearing boredom of stakeouts which are never as exciting as the movies, the sheer inability to catch the guy, which led to low morale and depression, and the lack of manpower. The elusive nature of Delroy Grant, with his cunning almost-fox-like ability to sense when the police were about to pounce, the suspense and tension when they just miss him was palpable.

The nature of Grant’s crimes was heart-breaking. He preyed sexually upon the elderly and the vulnerable, women and men; people who would perhaps not speak up about what really happened because of shame, belonging to a generation where the unspeakable was never spoken about. The actors portraying these elderly victims were phenomenal. I felt the rage and helplessness the police officers must have felt when they hesitatingly recounted their hideous experiences, some using old-fashioned terminology belonging to another era. I cried seeing these moving portrayals. These actors were so convincing that in the moment of watching, I believed I was seeing the real victims.

If you think you are going to see Doc Martin playing a cop, think again. Martin Clunes brings an incredible sensitivity to the role, much needed when gently asking a victim what happened, and knowing they can barely bring themselves to speak of the unspeakable. The always watchable Claudie Blakley plays his wife. The rest of the cast are stellar, no matter the size of the role being played. One can only imagine how each cast member felt when considering their own elderly parents and relatives. A very moving series that should not be missed.

TV Series review: Prodigal Son

I wasn't sure if I would like Prodigal Son, given that initially I did not find Tom Payne an appealing character in his portrayal of the nervy Malcolm Whitley, an empath (?) who now helps the police solve ‘interesting’ murders. But slowly as the plot unfolded, I was hooked. Tom Payne’s character shows via flashbacks what happened to turn him into this insomniac wreck, and it is truly chilling. The themes are dark and grim and there is murder and mayhem. Plus, a truly dysfunctional family such as you have never seen before.

 The talented Bellamy Young is absolutely gorgeous as the beautiful, (supposedly) spoiled socialite wife of now-incarcerated The Surgeon, a psychopathic serial killer, loving husband, and devoted father to two beautiful children who feel he has ruined their lives. Old sins cast long shadows... Martin Sheen is a complete scene stealer and just grabs each screen moment to win you over and make you think that, apart from having killed all those people, he is actually a really nice guy. Bellamy Young is amazing in what she can achieve while tottering around on killer (oops!) heels and when she and Sheen share a scene - well, sparks fly. They have a habit of taking of completely.

 There's a solid backing cast headed up by the ever-dependable Lou Diamond Phillips. But the series is not just about the serial killer and his victims. There are darker and deeper themes afoot. A riveting series. Season One ended on such a shocking cliff-hanger that I literally fell off the sofa. No spoilers here but I had no idea how things would be resolved until I started Season Two, which is just as promising. Pass the popcorn, please! 5/5

 

Book Review: Alchemist

Be afraid, be very afraid of big pharmaceutical organisations.  When Montana Bannerman’s Nobel prize-winning father sells his company (including his genetics research and laboratory) to a giant corporation, Bendix Schere,  that labels itself as ’caring,’ she and her father think their financial problems are over. All they need to do now is research for cures that will benefit mankind. Right? Wrong. Within a short space of time, a pushy reporter (Zandra Wollerton) working on a wild and seemingly far-fetched story is dead. Too many babies are being born with Cyclops Syndrome. Is this

coincidence or genetic engineering? Then when more people connected to the company and the investigation start dying—sometimes in front of Monty—she takes fright. Who is behind the world’s most caring company’s hidden agenda? And when Monty narrowly escapes an attempt on her life, she wonders who can she trust? A co-worker? The police? Everyone she speaks to ends up dead!

What a thriller. I read this book a while ago and enjoyed it even more on the second read. It is a thought-provoking novel with enough of a sprinkling of the occult to remain credible. The Satanic side is not overdone, and wasn’t magic really science in disguise thousands of years ago? There is also enough science and genetics to keep the reader interested without overwhelming the layman with too much ‘stuff.’ Flashbacks are relevant and add to the story. The author has a way of keeping readers intrigued as new information filters through. I liked the characters very much and found them believable. The action jumps between scenarios to keep the readers on the edge of their seats. The plot is complex, but ‘big reveals’ are surprising and conspiracy theorists will be satisfied with this book.

One wonders, after reading this book, if the author knows something we do not. Even though this book was published in 1999, its relevance for today is perhaps even more compelling. We have become so dependent on medication, and (most interestingly) a new trend coming to the fore is genetic analysis. People can have themselves tested to see what diseases they might develop in the future and take steps accordingly to prevent such diseases developing. Perhaps big pharmaceutical companies will see a gap here and fact becomes stranger than fiction…

Peter James is an international, best-selling British author of crime fiction. Read more about his books here.

by Fiona Ingram

BOOK REVIEW: CROOKED HOUSE

I am a huge Agatha Christie (15 /09/1890—12/12/1976) fan. I have possibly all of her books, and nearly all the television and film versions of her works, starring a variety of Hercule Poirots (my best is David Suchet) and Miss Marple (Margaret Rutherford, Joan Hickson and Julia McKenzie tops). According to the Guinness Book of records, Agatha Christie is the best-selling novelist of all time. Often referred to as the “Queen of Crime,” she is also regarded as a master of suspense, plotting, and characterisation.

Recently I started rereading her work and began with Crooked House, one of the seven novels inspired by nursery rhymes. Agatha Christie described this as her favourite book. She says in the author’s foreword: “This book is one of my own special favourites. I saved it up for years, thinking about it, working it out, saying to myself, ‘One day when I’ve plenty of time, and want to really enjoy myself—I’ll begin it! … Crooked House was pure pleasure.’”

Three generations of the Leonides family live together under the roof of wealthy patriarch Aristide. His first wife died; her sister Edith has cared for the household since then. His second wife is the indolent Brenda, decades his junior, who exchanges love letters with the grandchildren's tutor, Laurence Brown. After Aristide is poisoned by his own eye medicine (eserine), his granddaughter Sophia tells narrator and fiancé Charles Hayward that they cannot marry until the killer is apprehended. Charles' father "The Old Man" is the Assistant Commissioner of Scotland Yard, so Charles investigates from the inside along with assigned detective, Chief Inspector Taverner. It seems that everyone could have a motive. The ridiculously young wife Brenda wants to be free to marry the tutor. Then there’s Roger, the eldest son who needs money to prop up his tottering business. Second son Philip has always been jealous of Roger. Not to mention their wives (Clemency and Magda), who could also have motive for various financial reasons. Josephine, Aristides’s precocious granddaughter, tells Charles that the police are stupid and she has already worked out who the killer is, along with copious notes and clues in her little black notebook. When Josephine is attacked and Nanny is mysteriously poisoned by hot chocolate after Brenda and the tutor are arrested, the danger escalates to a surprise finish.

This was the first time I’d read the book and it was great. The pace is good, the characters real (we have all met them somewhere along life’s path) and the suspense chilling. I am quite good at guessing the killer in various crime books, but this one stumped (and shocked) me completely. Charles is excellent as the sometimes-bumbling amateur sleuth. Sophia is sharp-witted and courageous. There’s a Roger and a Magda in every family. The family are at once torn apart and cling together in this time of adversity and stalking danger. Highly enjoyable! (A lesson about making a watertight will included!) Five Stars

by Fiona Ingram

Can Facts be Fascinating?

Can non-fiction be fascinating? This sounds like a strange question, but the answer (depending on the book, of course) can be yes. I have been enthralled by the story of the unsolved murder of Charles Bravo ever since I saw a BBC documentary on the subject. I recently read a few reviews of the book Death at the Priory on Goodreads and the reviews themselves were so interesting that finally I bought the book. It could be that murders are fascinating in themselves, especially unsolved crimes. Numerous books abound on the topic of the identity of Jack the Ripper, for example. Forensic science has improved thousand-fold with the development of DNA, fingerprinting, and the various (forgive me!) CSI-style techniques now available. However, I’m sure even Horatio would have a problem solving this crime.


Charles Bravo (1845 - 21 April 1876) was a British lawyer who was fatally poisoned with antimony in 1876. The case is still sensational, notorious, and unresolved. It was an unsolved crime committed within an elite Victorian household at The Priory, a landmark house in Balham, London. The reportage eclipsed even government and international news at the time. Leading doctors attended the bedside, including Royal physician Sir William Gull, and all agreed it was a case of antimony poisoning. The victim took three days to die but gave no indication of the source of the poison during that time. Was it suicide, accidental self-poisoning, or murder? No one was ever charged for the crime.

His wealthy wife Florence had previously been married but had been separated from her first husband (who later died) because of his affairs and violent alcoholism. The impetuous Florence had also enjoyed an extramarital affair with a fashionable society doctor, the much older Dr. James Manby Gully, who was also married at the time. Her affair became public knowledge and Florence fell out of favor with her family and society. In order to reenter society, she married Charles Bravo. The marriage appeared to be doomed from the start. It was whispered that Charles had married Florence for her money, but the wealthy Florence had opted to hold onto her assets, a choice provided by new laws in England at the time (Married Women's Property Act 1870). This financial imbalance led immediately to tensions within the marriage. Police enquiries in the case revealed Charles's behavior towards Florence as being controlling, mean, and violent. Florence also experienced several miscarriages in quick succession, but Charles brutally persisted in forcing her to keep trying for an heir. However, given the nature of the man, there was no shortage of people in the Bravo household with motives for poisoning Charles Bravo.

Two inquests were held and the sensational details were considered so scandalous that women and children were banned from the room while Florence Bravo testified. The first returned an open verdict. The second inquest returned a verdict of wilful murder; however, nobody was ever arrested or charged. The household broke up after the inquest ended and the twice-widowed Florence moved away, dying of alcohol poisoning two years later.

Over a hundred years later, author James Ruddick embarked upon his own in-depth investigations in a case that reads like a modern page-turner. Drawing on detailed court and newspaper records, archives, family papers and letters, and interviews with surviving relatives, he has unearthed a wealth of information that gives conclusive evidence as to various suspects' motives and opportunities. His travels locally and internationally yielded comments from surviving family friends and local inhabitants. Medical research also gives tantalizing hints as to why, if it was not suicide or accidental self-poisoning, Bravo did not say whom he thought was the poisoner.

This is a fantastic read and I could not put the book down. The author has found such compelling evidence to exonerate some particular suspects, evidence that was never investigated all that time ago. It points out the flaws in policing methods of the day, as well as how social perceptions of the time influenced popular thinking. Ruddick give a deep and, at times, sensitive insight into the personalities of the main players, showing how they were trapped by their own natures (the headstrong spoiled Florence and the dominant Charles) as well as by the social mores and actual laws of the era. It is also a fascinating insight into the stultifying, repressive atmosphere of Victorian England, and the sad situation of many women of all social classes. Detective novel, historical docu-drama, and police thriller... call it what you will, I highly recommend this book to all readers with a penchant for detective and mystery novels. Draw your own conclusions...the author gives plenty of evidence for and against!