Martin Edwards's Blog, page 286

Sherlock: The Blind Banker - review

The Blind Banker, second episode in Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman as Holmes and Watson, was my first encounter with the 21st century version of Conan Doyle's classic detective duo. I missed A Study in Pink last week, but reviews were very positive, and I can see why.

The idea of updating the characters but retaining key elements from the originals was the brainchild of Steven Moffatt and Mark Gatiss, two very good TV writers. Purists might wince at the idea, but...

In the Elecric Mist

James Lee Burke is a writer with a gift for creating atmosphere, and his work seems eminently suitable for adaptation to the big screen, so I expected great things from In the Elecric Mist, a 2009 film based on one of his Dave Robicheaux novels, and starring the excellent Tommy Lee Jones as Dave – a brilliant piece of casting.

The story-line is quite complicated. A young woman's body, sadistically mutilated, is discovered, apparently the work of a serial killer. Soon afterwards Dave has a...

The Woodcutter by Reginald Hill - review

I recently finished reading the latest mystery to be written by one of the genre's stars, Reginald Hill. The Woodcutter is a stand-alone thriller, set mostly in Cumbria, where Hill now lives, and it tells the story of the rise, fall and renaissance of a remarkable character called Wolf Hadda.

Hadda, the son of a woodcutter, who falls for a glamorous young woman called Imogen. She is the daughter of the local squire, but despite the gap in class and wealth, they are strongly attracted to each o...

Forgotten Book - The Man Whose Dreams Came True

My choice for Patti Abbott's series of Forgotten Books today is The Man Whose Dreams Came True, by Julian Symons. Symons was one of the first contemporary crime writers to whom I graduated once I'd read my way through Agatha Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers. A family friend lent me The Progress of a Crime, which I enjoyed, and I sought out more of Symons' work.

I've forgotten much about many of the books I've read over the years – inevitably, I suppose. But strangely enough, I can vividly...

Forgotten Music - Loneliness Remembers

My latest entry for Scott Parker's series of Forgotten Music is an evocative song which is one of the more obscure entries in Dionne Warwick's extensive catalogue. It was subsequently recorded by Stephanie Mills on her debut alburm, but for some reason it never made any real impression on anyone other than the keenest fans of Bacharach-David songs.

Dionne Warwick has always been my favourite female singer and I've seen her in concert several times. Her voice was, in the 60s, quite incredible f...

Writing and Marketing

I've never had the pleasure of meeting Elizabeth Spann Craig, but she is one of those bloggers - other names that spring to mind are Margot Kinberg, Ed Gorman and Dorte H - whose blog posts are infused with personality, so that readers like me tend to feel they know the author, even though they have never met in person.

I've been impressed many times by the advice that Elizabeth proffers to other writers and would-be writers, and when talking to her through cyberspace about a potential guest b...

JFK

A good conspiracy thriller can be highly entertaining. I've mentioned before my enthusiasm for films such as Capricorn One and The Parallax View. And one of the greatest conspiracy theories in the real world concerns the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, so it's a wonder that it's taken me so long to get round to watching Oliver Stone's 1991 movie JFK. But at last I've watched it.

The film won a couple of Oscars, and it's notable for an excellent cast. Kevin Costner plays Garrison...

Harrogate

I've attended the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival at Harrogate since its early days, and it's invariably an entertaining event, enhanced by the fact that Harrogate in July is a very pleasant place to be. This year, unfortunately, I wasn't able to arrive there until Saturday lunch-time, but despite that I had a thoroughly enjoyable time.

One of the great things about crime conventions is the chance they offer both to catch up with old friends and to make new ones; also, I tend t...

Echo Burning

I've finished listening to the abridged audio CD of Lee Child's thriller Echo Burning, which I mentioned recently. It turned out to be very good car listening. Lively and interesting, without demanding so much attention that I risked crashing into a speed camera. In short, it did what a good thriller should do – it kept me entertained from start to finish.

I liked the comment made in response to my last blog post that Child's Jack Reacher is really an updated cowboy type of hero. He's strong, ...

Writing Ideas and Inspiration

The mysterious nature of the source of inspiration and ideas for writing is a constant subject for debate – especially, perhaps, among those who do not write. Those who do write are probably just thankful that ideas do come to mind, and don't spend a lot of time analysing where they spring from. Such analysis can be fun, though, if it isn't overdone.

'Where do you find ideas?' is such a common question at book talks that I once wrote a short story with that title. It's not a very well known...