Cormoran Strike Casting

Breaking news that I just couldn’t wait to share!

Finally, after years of nothing on the news front there has movement about the television adaptation of Robert Galbraith’s, pseudonym for JK Rowling, novels about a army veteran detective. I’m 100% so excited about this development.

The man taking on the complex role of larger than life detective Cormoran Strike is Tom Burke, a veteran member of the BBC most famously known for his portrayal of Athos in the recent series adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ novel ‘The Three Musketeers’.

He’s the Strike I hadn’t even considered, but now can’t imagine as anyone else. He knows how to play brooding and withdrawn, is handsome enough to appeal to a whole new audience and talented enough to handle the role with ease. I agree wholeheartedly with this casting choice.

But just who is Cormoran Strike? Good question.

He’s a complex fellow with a broad and troubled background, toughened by a childhood life on the road and by serving in the army. When we first meet him he’s broken up with the love of his life, living in his office and verging on bankruptcy. To say he’s seen better days would be a slight understatement.

He’s a damaged soul with a lot of baggage- fighting through the mess of his life whilst trying to help others fix their own. It will be interesting to see how Burke goes about portraying him.

There are three novels in the series so far; ‘The Cuckoo’s Calling’, ‘The Silkworm’ and ‘Career of Evil’- and all three are impossible to put down. I loved the twists and turns that Rowling, under the false name of Galbraith, has become known for, I loved the comradery between Strike and his assistant Robin, as well as the occasional tension in their relationship. It’s a fun mixture of the dark and dangerous combined with the bright lights of fame, a swirling of different classes coming together over one crime and people from all walkways of life becoming entangled as Strike and Robin try to solve the murder. They combine the past and the present flawlessly, breaking away at Cormoran’s tough exterior piece by piece so more of him is revealed and we can understand the character progressively.

There hasn’t been any other news on casting so far, and I’m personally most anxious to find out who they are going to cast in the role of Robin Ellacott, the female protagonist in the story and the ying to Strike’s yang. Her chemistry with Strike needs to be spot on all whilst needing to have the allure of being watchable on her own. Robin is not simply a secretary with good looks designed to be there simply for eye candy- she is so much more and whomever is cast needs to be able to be fast paced, intelligent and witty.

I have really high hopes for the series, which I believe is combining the three novels for hour long episodes. It’s a series that means a lot to me and helped me to transition from young adult fiction over to crime novels, introducing me to a whole new genre. It’s a lot of information and storyline to condense down into one hour but I trust that with Rowling’s company helping to produce the series, it’s in good hands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Return of Winter

*This is a work of fiction*

The call came through just as Detective Dylan Carter was prepared to call it a night. He was sitting staring blankly at his computer screen, willing it to reveal some clue he was convinced he had missed, when the shrill sound of the phone jolted him back to reality. His partner, pacing the width of his desk opposite him, leapt and grabbed the receiver, jamming it to his ear.

‘Hollis.’

Pause.

‘Huh-huh. Huh-huh.’

Another pause. Carter picked up a pen and started to roll it between his fingers.

‘You’re sure?’ Hollis stopped pacing. ‘Alice, don’t fuck with me.’

Carter heard the woman on the other end laugh and couldn’t stop the grin growing on his own face.

‘Great, thanks Alice,’ Hollis hung up a few moments later and whistled for Carter’s attention.

‘Yo, time to move. Alice said the blood work came through positive. The chief is working on the warrant now.’

Carter threw the pen down on the desk and stood up, grabbing his jacket off the back of his chair.

‘You serious? It’s a match?’

‘Near perfect. Your boy Garrett is going away for a long time.’

The two men fell into step together as they left the precinct and headed towards Carter’s SUV, the closest thing to a baby Carter was ever going to have.

‘You got a home address?’ Carter asked. Hollis shook his head.

‘I can do you one better- work.’

Carter’s head snapped round to look at his partner.

‘No fucking way. They just handed that over to you?’

Hollis smiled a shit eating grin.

‘I may have had to use my powers of persuasion.’

Carter didn’t ask any more questions. He really didn’t want to know.

‘Hang on, who’d you persuade? There’s no way the boys down in the Drug Department gave you Garrett’s address-‘

‘I didn’t talk to those assholes. Meredith in trafficking gave it to me. Good and hard,’ Hollis added, making Carter roll his eyes.

‘What does she have-? No…’ he said, grinning.

‘Oh yes. Our boy’s being tracked for human trafficking and prostitution. Seriously, is there any pie this guy doesn’t have his finger stuck in?’

The street lamps had started flickering on, paving the road as they sped toward their destination. A large abandoned warehouse on the South Side. Carter couldn’t help thinking how much of a cliché it all was.

‘Back-up?’

‘ETA in four minutes,’ Hollis replied. They both got out of the car and headed round the back, popping the trunk. Carter grabbed his bulletproof vest before handing another to Hollis. He and his partner may have been known around the precinct as reckless, but they were also well seasoned cops who knew the importance of a vest. They both had the scars to prove it.

‘Looks dead. You sure this is the place?’ Carter asked three minutes later. He was getting restless, finding it hard to stay still. Joe Garrett had been his personal ghost for the past three years, and he really needed to nail this guy.

‘Don’t blame me, blame the source,’ Hollis shrugged.

‘Who, your girlfriend?’

‘Ain’t my girlfriend,’ Hollis threw back.

Carter chuckled, and started to edge forward. He un-holstered his gun and heard Hollis do the same behind him. Together they crept forward, staying close to the side of the building and listening for the sounds of movement coming from nearby. Carter could feel his trigger finger itching, holding the gun tightly as he edged forward.

‘How we gonna celebrate?’ Hollis said softly.

Carter rolled his eyes. ‘Let’s nail this guy first. Then decide what the fuck we’re gonna get drunk on.’

‘I like the sound of that.’

Just at that moment the call came through their earpieces that the backup had arrived and were in position- snipers on the roof of the building opposite, guns trained on the only door visible. Either Garrett was stupid or risky; because Carter knew one door meant one way in and out. It made him calculate the odds in his head- they were either gonna find girls, guns or drugs in this warehouse, and the one door was screaming odds in favour of the first.

‘Hollis. Call for an ambulance.’

‘What?’

‘Got a gut instinct going on.’

‘Ah, shit.’

Carter heard his partner bark a few words into his earpiece before calling emergency services. ‘They’re on their way. What you think we gonna find in there?’

‘I dunno. But I don’t think it’s what we are looking for.’

There was a quick countdown and the two men along with ten others stormed through the door into the building, guns held shoulder height and announcing who they were. Three men guarding the warehouse began firing back, and Carter ducked behind some crates and barrels to the side, ducking his head against the gunfire.

He was getting too old for this shit.

Finally the three men were down and silence prevailed, only one of their men injured. Carter checked on him before heading further into the warehouse, wanting to see what Garrett had been storing. Checking the three dead men, he was disappointed to find none of them were Garrett himself, but rather his lackeys. Fuckin’ A.

‘Yo, Carter- where you headed?’

‘There’s a room back here, wanna see what Garrett’s got cooking.’

‘Need backup?’

‘Nah, I got this.’

The door opened into a narrow corridor, numerous doors on either side. Doors with very big locks on them. The doors were old, but the locks looked brand spanking new, causing Carter’s wariness to soar. He kept his gun un-holstered and by his side, eyes darting around for any sudden movement. He came to the first door and decided to risk it, using the butt of his gun to smash against the lock until it broke. He pulled the pieces away and gave the door a shove, stumbling slightly when the door gave way easily. Carter had to wait a moment for his eyes to adjust to the darkness before looking around.

Suddenly, there was movement.

The girl was lying on the bed, scantily clad. Everything that needed to be was covered, Carter thanked God, but the rest left little to the imagination.

Carter strode over to her, putting his gun back in the holster.

‘Hey, you OK?’

The girl looked at him incredulously.

‘I’ve been better.’

Carter reached out a hand for her to take. The girl stared at it for a moment before returning to his gaze.

‘Now you’re offering a hand?’

Carter frowned.

‘What?’

The girl smiled. It was a humourless smile. It looked ugly on her young face.

‘It’s been a while, Dylan. You got old.’

He should be offended, but he was too busy trying to rack his brain, trying to remember this girl. She was all long limbed and delicate features, hair that was dark brown on the top and slowly lightened to blonde at the end. Carter knew that was the fashion these days, but fuck if he understood it.

‘You know me?’

‘Biblically? No.’

He let out a silent breath. Not a scorned lover then. But who-?

‘Holy fuck.’ Now he knew. It had been years, seven to be precise, but he could see it now. The same hazel eyes, same pointed chin. ‘Effie?’

Carter grabbed her arm and pulled her up from the bed, snatching the blanket one of the paramedics had brought and wrapping it round her, both for modesty and warmth.

‘Effie Winter? What the hell are you doing here?’

‘Oh, you know. Just catching a movie. You?’

Carter didn’t respond. Instead, he just stared. Of all the places in the world, this was the last of them he would have expected to see his best friend’s daughter.

‘Come with me,’ he said, holding on firmly to her arm, noting how skinny it was. He led her out of the warehouse and over to one of the ambulances, demanding that a paramedic check her out. He ignored her sounds of protests and promised to rip the paramedic limb from limb if he didn’t take good care of her before heading back over to his SUV where Hollis was waiting.

‘Found one you like?’ Hollis said, nodding back over to Effie.

‘Don’t.’

Hollis clearly noticed the look on Carter’s face because he stopped joking and fell serious.

‘Dude, you OK?’

‘That’s Andy Winter’s kid.’

Hollis looked repeatedly between Carter and where Effie was standing.

‘Are you fucking around?’

Carter shook his head. Hollis let out a low whistle.

‘You seen her since the accident?’

Carter stiffened, the subject still sore.

‘Damn, what happened to her?’

‘No clue. But I plan to find out.’

 

 

 

‘May Day Murder’ Book Review

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again- I love a good crime novel. From the real gritty novels of Jo Nesbo to the more beachside read of Janet Evanovich, recently I cannot get enough of them. It’s an obsession. 

And there is one series I am LOVING at the moment- ‘The Whitstable Pearl Mysteries’ by Julie Wassmer, ‘May Day Murder’ being the third in the series. Living in Whitstable myself, there’s a certain home pride when it comes to reading these novels, set in the picturesque seaside town in the South East of England. It’s amazing to be able to read these novels and really know the places Wassmer writes about. Of course, not everyone is from Whitstable and cannot enjoy this luxury, but that is no reason not to read them. 

Following the life of Pearl Nolan, a single mother who owns a local restaurant and has recently started up her own detective agency, we follow this remarkably likeable and down to earth character as she solves murders in her home town of Whitstable. It’s a great light read (I finished it in a day!) that is warm hearted and almost an ode to the town and the people who live there. 

Wassmer creates characters you can relate to, as well as become suspicious of. As someone who loves mystery but wants answers more, I’m always desperate to find out who the murderer is- but in this novel I was kept guessing right to the end, and was not disappointed when the killer was finally revealed. But the murder of Faye Marlow, big Hollywood star coming back to her birth town for the May Day celebrations yet instead causes old memories and conflicts to arise, is not the only mystery that is revealed by Pearl and her detective love interest Mike McGuire throughout the story. It’s a real nail-biter, trust me.  

The story is a lovely mixture of mystery, crime, romance and family values that when combined creates a wonderful world to read about. It’s a picturesque novel that is thoroughly enjoyable and proves that these characters, and the world that Wassmer has created within Whitstable, has so much more to give. With 20 years of writing gritty scripts for Eastenders under her belt, Wassmer has chosen to write her prose with a lighter and warmer feel, and that even though the story is about murder, you still get the feeling that everything will work out in the end, that Pearl and her little comfortable life she’s living in Whitstable with her son and her mother Dolly (my personal favourite character) will spread out through the pages and bring some calm and tranquility into your own life.  

My only criticism of the piece was that there was so much focus on trying to keep the murderer a secret, from both the characters and the readers, that the various twists and reveals with regards to the other characters sometimes felt a little obvious. I’m not going to give anything away, heaven forbid I reveal any spoilers, but maybe I’ve just read too many crime novels all in one go that I could guess the secrets before the reveal. But what I figured out quite easily was made up for in the huge shocker of who the murderer was. Did not see that one coming! 

I would highly recommend reading this series, whether you’re from Whitstable or not, just for the light easy read it offers and the thrilling suspense of finding out ‘whodunnit’. I’ve already given at least four of my friends my copies and passed the name on to so many more. 

And now I’m recommending it to you, so get reading! 

7.5/10 

‘Wicked Charms’ Book Review

Recently I’ve been expanding my type of genre when it comes to books. Growing up I was dependant on romance, to read about girls who had everything I wanted. Young Adult fiction became my crutch during the boring days of my teenage years. 

But now I find myself craving something a little different. When voicing these concerns a family member suggested I move onto to something that would ease me into another genre- a crossover perhaps. With that she handed me the first in a series by Janet Evanovich, ‘Wicked Appetite’- a crime novel with a light hearted comedy feel and a fabulously sexy duo with tension that could be cut with a knife. Without a doubt, I was hooked. And explains why I read the second novel, ‘Wicked Business’ in a matter of days. OK, more like hours. 

Which is why I was so gosh-darn excited for the third book to be published. I knew Evanovich was co-writing this novel with another author by the name Phoef Sutton, someone I hadn’t heard of before, and I was a little apprehensive. Would it have the same off the cuff and witty one liners Evanovich was so well known for writing? Would the tension between Diesel and Lizzie still be red hot? These were all genuine questions I had buzzing around my head leading up to the publication date. 

But it turns out…I needn’t have worried. Evanovich and Sutton work amazingly together, and the stories in this series just keep getting better and better. Now that the characters are well fleshed out and as familiar to me as the family member who introduced us, the plot lines and crime aspects really take precedence and you start to understand where the authors are heading within this series. 

And I love the characters, I really do- they are lovable and sweet with a wicked sense of humour. No pun intended. Alright, maybe a little. And whilst a few of them seem a little too goofy to be real people, or perhaps too helpful that makes our heroes’ journey just that much easier, they are fun to read about. From the guy who can’t stop talking like a pirate even when he’s off duty to the finger flipping pet monkey Carl, you can’t help laugh out loud at them all. 

The story revolves around Lizzie Tucker, a cupcake baker living in Salem who discovers she possesses a magical sense that allows her to locate stones that have the abilities of the Seven Deadly Sins. Sounds odd written down, for sure, but combined with Evanovich’s comedic writing style and the murder mystery sub-plot that keeps the suspense building it works. The other protagonist is the mysterious Diesel who acts as Lizzie’s guide, and therefore ours as well, to the supernatural and the world of magic. He too possesses some magical ability of his own, and to keep the sexual tension alive as the series continues, neither can be with one another for fear of losing their magical skills. It’s both convenient and slightly hilarious at times.

While the crime aspect doesn’t exactly match the level of gore or suspense as say Stephen King or Jo Nesbo, there are moments that will surprise and shock you. However it is not the main focus of the storyline and takes a back seat to the comedy and relationships between the characters. It is a gateway novel from romance into the crime genre, and a perfect start for people looking to make the switch. 

There are two main storylines within this novel- the stand alone one that focuses on the particular stone of Lust and the character’s quest to find it, and the overall arc of Lizzy and Diesel’s fight against the main villain of the story- Diesel’s not so nice cousin Wulf who is also after the stones for his own nefarious ways. Not much is known about Wulf up to this point, and I think Evanovich plans to keep it that way- he’s been labelled the ‘tall mysterious man’ and he really lives up to his name. But his role ties in nicely with both storylines as he simultaneously hinders and helps our heroes along the way. 

It’s a feel good novel to read during your down time or on holiday. It’s a series I have grown to love as I have read each book, and is one I happy to read over and over again whilst waiting for the next in the series. If you’re looking for something a little different and light hearted, yet want to stray away from the cliche romances thrown at the female demographic, this is the book, and the series, for you. 

7.5/10