The movie version of Live and Let Die was used to introduce a new actor, Roger Moore, playing 007, but on the page it was pretty much just another adventure. Unlike Casino Royale, there are many differences to be found between the source novel and the film adaptation. Both find 007 investigating Mr. Big, an African American crime … More James Bond in Live and Let Die: Book vs. Movie
“In my job … when I come up against a man like this one, I have another motto. It’s ‘live and let die.’” Now that we’ve been introduced to the world of James Bond, 007, Ian Fleming gets right to the point in the second Bond novel, Live and Let Die. The events of Casino Royale don’t … More Book Review: Live and Let Die, by Ian Fleming
“History is moving pretty quickly these days and the heroes and villains keep on changing parts.” Although it was the 21st movie in the series of Bond films, Casino Royale was the very first Bond novel written by Ian Fleming. Appropriately enough, its film adaptation was essentially a reboot of the Bond series with Daniel … More Book Review: Casino Royale, by Ian Fleming
Casino Royale was the first book in Ian Fleming’s James Bond series, but it was the 21st movie in the film series. In both cases, it serves as a sort of introduction to the suave British agent with the cold eyes. Unlike many adaptations of Fleming’s novels, the plot is remarkably consistent with what you … More James Bond in Casino Royale: Book vs. Movie
Out With a Whimper Disappointment, thy name is Jeff Lindsay. It was abundantly clear long ago that Lindsay had fallen into a rut with his Dexter series, that the magic had gone away and he was just going through the motions. I mean honestly, it reached the point where virtually every book had the same … More Book Review: Dexter Is Dead, by Jeff Lindsay
The downside of Agatha Christie’s most famous mysteries is that their secrets have fallen victim to their own success. Particularly in the internet age, it’s hard to avoid spoilers. Christie’s play The Mousetrap famously kept its ending a secret in the mainstream press despite being the longest-running play in history until its Wikipedia page repeatedly … More Book Review: Murder On the Orient Express, by Agatha Christie
Detective Rizzoli and M.E. Maura Isles are back in one of Rizzoli and Isles’ most gruesome adventures yet. In a series known for grisly murders, that says quite a bit. You see, avid hunter and taxidermist Leon Gott has just been found eviscerated and hanging upside down in his own home. As if that wasn’t … More Book Review: Die Again, by Tess Gerritsen
Given that I’ve reviewed every book in the Rizzoli & Isles series by Tess Gerritsen, you should probably be aware that I’m a fan. It’s my go-to guilty pleasure (to use a phrase I don’t really like very much). But I’m not a fan of the Mephisto Club, a secret and ancient organization that all … More Book Review: Last to Die, by Tess Gerritsen
In case you haven’t heard yet, Dexter Morgan is a Miami blood spatter analyst for the Homicide Department who moonlights as a serial killer. He channels his bloodthirsty urges by going after the people who, for whatever reason, slipped through the cracks of the regular justice system. You could call him a vigilante, but the … More The Dexter Books, by Jeff Lindsay (Part 3)
If you remember where we left off, intrepid M.E. Maura Isles went to a medical conference in Wyoming to escape her attraction to Father Brophy, only to get stranded in a blizzard and nearly killed by a religious cult. Because these things happen, right? She also met a boy nicknamed Rat who was orphaned by … More The Rizzoli and Isles Books, by Tess Gerritsen (Part 4)
Supposedly Fun 