It's not enough to just make really good food these days, there has to be a grand theatre to it - at least, for the 'hardcore foodies', critics, and incredibly rich types. Samples of each of these groups are about to travel to the incredibly exclusive, upmarket island restaurant, Hawthornes, where the chef (Ralph Fiennes) … Continue reading The Menu (2022)
Life could be a dream... and is, for Alice (Florence Pugh), a 1950s housewife living in a remote, close-knit community purpose-built for the families of her husband's (Harry Styles) new employer. Every morning she and the other wives wave off their spouses as they drive (in a fleet of glamorous 50s cars) across the surrounding … Continue reading Don’t Worry Darling (2022)
"They had been on the island less than five hours and already the whole thing was falling apart." A group of women head to a remote Scottish island for a lavish hen do. But when someone turns up dead, the question of 'who dunnit' only stirs up the secrets surrounding each of them. Jen's friends include … Continue reading The Cliff House – Chris Brookmyre
After the news that she has a rare and terminal health condition, Sarah (Karen Gillan) allows a salesman to talk her into being cloned, to 'save her love ones from pain'. The clone (also Gillan) will spend Sarah's last few months with her, learning to duplicate her in every way - or so goes the … Continue reading Dual (2022)
Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper) is a grifter who'll pull any con if it puts him on the path to riches. Given the Depression of the 1930s, work is hard to come by and so he ends up working with a travelling carnival. All the fun of the fair this is not, by modern standards, with … Continue reading Nightmare Alley (2021)
"The bike lay on the side of the road beneath a grey oak, the handlebars at an odd jutted angle, as if it had been thrown with angry force." It seems like such an appropriate coincidence to have an historic tennis finale happen just as this book publishes, as it tells a tangled story of … Continue reading Apples Never Fall – Liane Moriarty
"Every marriage has its secrets." When Aaron's wife, Allison, dies his grief is soon overtaken by stumbling across a huge secret she's been keeping. At first he assumes - understandably - that it was an affair, but when it turns out that she was investigating murders of teenage girls, it's not long before his need … Continue reading Come With Me – Ronald Malfi
My attempts to catch up with my reviewing leads to this very overdue write up on a surprisingly engrossing TV series. I picked The Alienist on Netflix partly because the title (explained shortly) intrigued me, partly because of the Ripper Street period vibe I was getting, and I thought I'd give an episode a go and … Continue reading The Alienist (season 1)
"Jerry crouched alongside Millicent's bed and checked again for a pulse." When Millie Spark wakes up to find her boyfriend stabbed to death in the bed beside her, their last night of drugs and booze - plus a locked door - paints her as the only suspect. The press takes delight in decrying her career … Continue reading The Cut – Chris Brookmyre
"What kind of man am I?" An unconventional vicar, a scandal, and a sudden move to a small village. It's supposed to be a fresh start for single parent, Rev Jack Brooks, and 14-year old Flo, dragged along against her will. But dark things lurk in Chapel Croft's past. Martyrs, burning girls - celebrated with … Continue reading The Burning Girls – CJ Tudor
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