Fatal Error

I do not know how to classify this book. I would not call it a mystery because from the get go you know exactly who the good guys are and who the bad guys are. It is not a thriller, since the book takes a meandering path to an obvious conclusion, but yet, general fiction doesn’t make sense either since there are both mystery and thriller elements associated with the story.

Alison Reynolds is finishing her Arizona Police Academy training when she is informed that due to budget cuts, there is no current opening for her, now what is she to do. Her parents are on a long overdue vacation and she is spending her mornings and afternoons at the Sugarloaf Cafe but she is not the type to just sit around and wait for something to happen. Well, into her life comes Brenda Riley another ex-anchorwoman who has an interesting tale of a man that she is engaged to but has never met. That is curious. Said fiancé is now missing and Brenda is asking Ali to help her track down this wayward man.

With the help of Detective Gil Morris , Ali soon finds herself on the trail of Richard Lowensdale who apparently through his cyber stalking has strung many women along but this time his luck has run out when he is deemed expendable by an evil woman with her own drug cartel connections.

I have really enjoyed the previous five books in this series, but somehow this one fell off the rails. It felt to me that Ms Jance either was bored with the series or decided that her previous accomplishments were enough to get this out to her readers.

I can recommend the previous books in this series, but I would have great difficulty recommending this one. In addition, as for where the title came from, that was just tucked into the final chapters of the book more as an afterthought then having any real purpose.

Bonneville (Movie)

(Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Joan Allen and Christine Baranski)

This is an OK movie, not great but something nice to have on in the background while you are doing your stuff around the house.

The movie is formulaic with the typical best friends helping a grieving widow. After having been married for 20+ years, Arvilla has lost her husband. One of his dying wishes was to have his ashes spread over the places that he loved; this does not sit well Arvilla’s stepdaughter who wants her “daddy” to be interred next to her mother. Throwing salt in the wound, if Arvilla does not comply, nasty stepdaughter will take the family home away from her.

Instead of flying from Pocatello, Idaho to Santa Barbara, California they decide to take the late husband’s Bonneville on a cross county excursion stopping in the places that dear dead husband enjoyed. Funny, apparently there are no freeways from Pocatello to Santa Barbara since they seem to be in some rather out of the way gas stations.

After arriving late for the funeral with guilty looks on their faces, the ashes are finally presented to wicked stepdaughter only there is quite a funny surprise when the ashes are accidently spilled. Actually, that is the best part of the movie.

There are a couple of things that just did not make sense in this movie - Why was it necessary to make reference to a characters Mormonism when in fact they just made fun of the customs of that religion throughout the movie. How did the truck driver find them at yet another out of the way gas station driving a little blue truck instead of his 18-wheeler?

The little things here and there drove me crazy. I guess if you are looking for mindless entertainment this would suffice, but if you are hoping for something to dig your teeth into, this just is not it.

Sometimes You Have to Applaud Ingenuity

Regina Mayer jumps with her cow Luna over a hurdle in Laufen, southern Germany, on Tuesday, March 29, 2011. When Regina Mayer's parents dashed her hopes of getting a horse, the 15-year-old didn't go sulk in her room. Instead, the resourceful teen turned to cow called Luna to make her dream come true. Hours of training and tons of treats, cajoling and caresses later, the results are impressive. Not only do the two regularly go on long rides together through the picturesque southern German countryside, they even do jumps over a homemade hurdle of beer crates and painted logs.

The Other Boleyn Girl (Movie)

I have been watching The Tudors and decided to take a little side trip and watch The Other Boleyn Girl (Natalie Portman, Scarlett Johansson, Eric Bana) to get a feel for more of the Boleyn story. Well, now I am completely confused.

Though both stories are dealing within the same period and the same basic characters, the two adaptations could not be any more different. Now I understand poetic license, but when facts are toyed with, it leaves the watcher quite befuddled.

For instance, Mary Boleyn is referred to as the older sister in The Tudors and the younger sister in The Other Boleyn Girl, so off to Google to find out. According to The House of Tudor, Mary is the older sister. OK, The Tudors got this one right. The Other Boleyn Girl tell of an illegitimate child that Mary bore during her time with Henry the VIII, The Tudor’s doesn’t comment on this. This time to Wiki. Apparently, Mary bore two children, but then again who is counting. So I will give that one to The Other Boleyn Girl. Now the most curious part, the end of The Other Boleyn Girl shows Mary taking the young Elizabeth and leaving Court to raise the child. Really, does anyone think that was possible? I thought Governess cared for her, but then people do like a happily ever after ending when dealing with royalty.

The more I look into the Tudor history, the more confused I get. I understand that movie making is supposed to be fantasy, but how hard would it be to research what is “known” and go from there instead of making it up as you go.

Now back to the actual movie. Overall, it is quite a stunning spectacle. The costuming and staging are beautiful. The casting is reasonable, though Henry should have been shorter and rounder, but then again who would want to see that. I have also seen in some reviews that the sex scenes in The Other Boleyn Girl shocked people. Well, if you are offended by that, which there really was not much shown, it is a PG-13 after all; I suggest that you completely bypass The Tudors. That one will make you blush.

Unless you know some of the prior history of the time, you would have been lost in this movie. The timing is a bit choppy, sort of like a Cliff Notes version of a small part of the Tudor Period. If you are not looking for a history lesson you might like this movie, but just be warned that it is an adaptation of Philippa Gregory’s historical fiction novel and not necessarily a work of fact.