Review of "Profile of a Killer"

I had never heard of the film or any of the members of it's cast before finding it in the Amazon Prime Instant Video library tonight.  For a film with an unknown cast (at least to me), I found this film to be surprisingly good.  The acting was quite good and the concept was, while not entirely novel, an unusual approach to the serial killer sub-genre.  While I say that the concept was entirely novel, I mean just that.  It was a novel approach, but not entirely so.  It was something that isn't done everyday, but there are elements of it that you have seen before.  Frankly, I found it a refreshing take on the subject.  (I am a bit hampered here by my desire to avoid spoilers).

The film does have some gore, although most viewers of films about serial killers will find said gore to be mild.  If you are new to the sub-genre, however, I would recommend trying another film first, especially if you are faint of heart.

I found the writing to be, for the most part, entertaining and believable.

Quite well done, and I would recommend "Profile of a Killer" to anyone who enjoys thrillers and is not squeamish.

Review: Armed and Outrageous

Armed and Outrageous by Madison Johns

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



I felt that the mystery itself was well-thought out. I had few issues with grammar, punctuation, or spelling (although there were a few issues there). What I objected to was the characteristics attributed to the elderly. The author claims in her foreword that she has worked with the elderly for years and assures the reader that the elderly truly can behave this way (adding the caveat that the exaggerated some behavior because she wanted her characters to be "over the top').

I can accept that. She wants her characters to be modern and sexually active (something that many younger readers may have difficulty accepting). She wants her characters to be wild and "cool" (like pot smoking and drinking). She wants them to be badasses (with the fighting and gunplay).

I'm OK with all of that.

What bothered me was the stereotyping. The SERIOUSLY INACCURATE stereotyping. The main character keeps her teeth in a class of efferdent. She has dentures at 72, which isn't uncommon, but it isn't the norm nowadays, either. With my grandmother's generation (the generation that would have been Agnes Barton's PARENTS' generation, this was the norm. But Agnes's generation is that of the Baby Boomers. I have several people in my life of this age group. I have 9 people in my life who I know closely enough to know their medical and social history (I will call them my "sample" for the purposes of this review). My sample consists of 5 women and 4 men. Their ages range from 65-75. Four members of this sample are couples (2 of the men married to 2 of the women). Two of the remaining women are not currently married (either widowed or divorced). The remaining woman and remaining two men are married to people outside of the sample (for whom I don't know these statistics)

ALL of the members of the sample still have their own natural teeth. Only one of them has any dentures, and that's a partial plate from when she was in an accident as a teenager.

She talks about how MOST of the seniors in this retirement community want to be in bed by 9 pm every night. Of the nine people in my sample group, only 2 of them like to be in bed by this time. Those two are a married couple. The other 7 in this group go to bed at various times AFTER 9 pm.

The author portrays sex at this age as somewhat of a rarity. The main character acts like no one would ever want to have sex with her again at the age of 72. Her best friend is 80, and will basically take whatever she can get in the sex department, because it's so rare to find. Of my sample, 7 of the members are currently sexually active. The other two are abstinent by choice, as neither is currently interested in joining the dating pool.

The author portrays seniors as being bad drivers. This is spoken of specifically about one character. I can live with that part, because maybe Eleanor is just a bad driver. And Aggie blames it on her age. OK, I can handle that. But later, Agnes pulls into a parking lot, and proceeds to tell the reader that every car in the parking lot was dinged and dented because most of the drivers in this retirement are senior citizens. THIS was the part to which I took the most offence. Evidently, other readers had similar qualms. Additionally, our main character actually drunk drives home from a party.

Firstly, a study just came out this last week that showed that seniors have a much LOWER incidence of accidents than younger drivers (including the age 26-45s). Of my representative sample, two members are aggressive drivers, two are frequent dent and dingers, and THE OTHER FIVE are excellent drivers. One of them has never had a ticket, in over 50 years of driving, and has only had one accident (when a deer hit her car - I specifically say that the deer hit her car, because the damage was all to the windshield and roof, because the deer jumped on top of the car, it never contacted the bumper). 2 of these drivers had issues with driving under the influence, but it was when they were younger, and none of them has driven under the influence in over 20 years. 7 of these group members have not had an accident in over a decade. The other two are (of course) our frequent dent and dingers.

The author also portrays gatherings with these characters (like their monthly card night) as a time for comparing battle scars. Everyone is talking about their aches and pains. Bowel movements and their frequency are considered normal discussion for characters of this age (the main character actually says that they talk about this EVERY month when the get together). In my sample, the only real discussion of aches an pains that I've seen occurs when someone has recently had some sort of major illness or procedure (example: chemotherapy heart bypass). I've never heard any of them sitting around talking about bowel movements. And their discussion of medical issues seems no more or less intense than people of my age (30s & 40s). I, myself, had a major surgery about 3 years ago, and afterwards everyone constantly asked me for medical updates. After a while, it subsided. I see the seniors in my life discuss their health issues NO MORE AND NO LESS than other adults.

There were some minor writing issues in the book, a few were distracting for the reader, but most were easily overlooked. It was the ridiculous stereotyping that I had an issue with.

I was also bothered by how disrespectful anyone under the age of 30 was. It seemed like if you were under 30, you were a rude, disrespectful jerk. I have not found this to be the case in the real world either.



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Review: When Christians Get It Wrong

When Christians Get It Wrong by Adam Hamilton

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I found this book to be thoughtful and insightful. I am quite inspired after reading it. I feel that Hamilton has an interesting perspective for both Christians and non-Christians alike.

While the book is obviously written from a Christian perspective (Hamilton is a Methodist minister), it is not overly preachy.



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Review: The Big Four

The Big Four by Agatha Christie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



It's hard to explain about this book. It was far off what you come to expect from Poirot. It was more spy adventure than cozy mystery. And this was the first time that I have ever been bored by a Christie novel. Not extremely bored, but I was able to put it down rather easily. Typically, I read an Agatha Christie novel over the course of a few days. This book took me over a week. Obviously, I wasn't devoting as much time to it as I would other novels.

It was fine. It just wasn't great.



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Review: The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes (Updated)

Anyone who has run across my posts in the Kindle forums is probably already aware that I plug the book The Lodger.  Mercilessly.  I plug this book so often that one might think that I wrote it, or at least that I have a published edition of it for sale in the Kindle store.  I don’t.  With the way that I plug this book, one might also think that it is the best book that I have ever read.  It wasn’t.  What it was, was the most surprising book that I ever read.  Not the storyline, don’t worry, no spoilers here, it was just the book itself that was surprising.

You see, it was the first book that I read on my first Kindle.  I wanted to take advantage of all of the free public domain books that were available to me, and I selected one at random.  Well, not quite at random.  I searched for the keywords “Jack the Ripper”.  I don’t really know why, it was just the first thing that popped into my mind (should that worry me?).  This book came up as a public domain book, by an author of whom I’d never heard, and there was a free edition available.  So, I downloaded it.  And I read it.  And I loved it.

I have said that this was not the best book that I’d ever read, but it was a thoroughly enjoyable, five-star read.  When I downloaded it (wirelessly, for the first time to a Kindle, which was exciting enough), I expected to read this old book that would be interesting enough and not too boring.  I mean, really, it was almost a century old, and I’d never heard of the author.  Sometime during the course of my life, especially when I was working on a degree in Literature, I had at least heard of EVERY good author from that period, surely.  Right?  Wrong.

This book did not turn out to be a somewhat antiquated, only a little boring, read.  It turned out to be a page-turner.  So much so, that Dobby (my husband, for those of you who are new to my blog) started saying things like, “I’m not sure that this whole Kindle thing was a good idea” because I was giving him so little attention.  He’s learned to cope with that now.

I’ve explained about my personal experience with this book, but what you really want to know is more about the book itself.  I aim to please:

This book is set in London in the time of the Whitechapel Murders.  The main characters are a middle-aged couple who own a rooming house.  They rent out a couple of rooms to a young man whom they’ve never met prior to his becoming their lodger.  The suspense of this story comes from their suspicion that he may indeed be Jack the Ripper.  So, is he?

No, of course he isn’t.  Oh, wait, yes he is.  Not really, I’m just kidding.  Or am I?

The fact of the matter is that it isn’t relevant.  Well, I’m sure that it is to the middle-aged couple, but it’s not really relevant to the reader.  What is relevant in this book is the couple’s CONCERN that he might be.  In the end, we find out the truth one way or the other, but that is not the interesting part.  To be honest, it wouldn’t really matter to the reader whether or not we ever know.  It’s the suspense, the agony, the suspicion, and the excitement that matters.  That’s what the story is about.  “Whodunit” doesn’t matter; what matters is how the main characters feel about it.  This is what Lowndes does unbelievably well.

So, I highly recommend that you check out The Lodger for a suspenseful, pleasure read that won’t cost you a dime.

The Lodger is also available in in other formats.

Check out the Paperwhite here.  

Don’t own a Kindle, but would like to?  The latest generation of  basic Kindle is available here (I recommend the Special Offers - saves you money and is unobtrusive).

For comments, questions, and feedback, the author may be contacted at:  unkemptruminations@comcast.net

Review: The Chink in the Armor

The Chink in the Armor by Marie Belloc Lowndes

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I have a fascination with Marie Belloc Lowndes. So, when I was looking for a nice, somewhat creepy read after finishing the fourth book of the Chloe Boston series, I turned to my old friend Marie.

The Chink in the Armour promised to be a creepy one; I mean really, it started off with a visit to a fortune teller. That visit didn’t reveal a pleasant fortune either. It was an eerie fortune, steeped in suspicion of the soothsayer. It was a nice start.

Now, I won’t reveal whether or not the suspicious oracle was honest or a hoax. That would ruin the story for you. I hate spoilers. I don’t want to be the personification of one.

I did find that the story was less creepy than I expected. It was not the full beginning to end inducer of willies that The Lodger was. But it did start off making my hair stand on end a bit, so that was nice.

The book then turned into many things. It was part voyage of self-discovery. It was part liberation of the female lead character. It was part buddy joint. It was part mystery. It was part thriller. It was all well-written and well-done. So, while it wasn’t the creep-fest that I was expecting, it was a book well worth reading.

It, again, leaves me wondering why it is that I had never heard of Lowndes until I got my Kindle. It makes me wonder why she isn’t taught in the school system. And she’s not considered worthy of that, why she hasn’t at least developed the popular following that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle has received.

Please, do me - and yourself - the favor of reading Marie Belloc Lowndes. I would recommend starting with either "The Chink in the Armour" or "The Lodger" (review to follow someday soon). And please let me know what you think about the author. I would love to hear your opinions.

As always, I can be reached on Goodreads, or at unkemptruminations@comcast.net



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Review: The World's Greatest Books, Volume 8: Fiction

The World's Greatest Books, Volume 8: Fiction by Arthur Mee

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I was not a fan of "The World's Greatest Books" series. They are digests, but pose themselves (or at least did back when I purchased them) as anthologies. The digests are so "digested" that there is very little of the original work left.

I prefer to read my books unabridged. I occasionally read a digest to as a preview sampler for other works, but with classics such as are contained here, I don't really feel that I need a sampler.

While I downloaded several of these, under the impression that they were anthologies, I will not be reading any of the others.

For someone interested in testing the waters of the pieces of classical fiction contained, these books might be a good choice. I saw nothing wrong with them as digests, I just prefer to avoid abridged fiction.



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Review: Partners in Crime

Partners in Crime by Agatha Christie

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I thought that for the most part, this was well-written. This edition (ASIN B000FCK684, published by Harper Collins) had quite a few typos and editing errors. I did not find them overwhelming or distracting from the book.

I love Christie's writing, but as I am not a fan of Short Stories, I didn't like these as well as her full-length works. It may be my preference for long fiction, or it may be that Christie was more adept at longer fiction. It may have been a combination of both. It wasn't bad, it just didn't ring my bell.

I typically sit down an read a Christie book within 24 hours, but this book took me over a week. So, there you go.

It WAS an excellent way to acquaint myself with other mystery writers who Christie respected and by whom she was influenced. I am starting to read some of them now.

Overall, it was light fun, but not quite as gripping as her longer works.



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Review: The Amethyst Box

The Amethyst Box by Anna Katharine Green

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It was a bit shorter than I expected, and it wasn't quite the mystery that it is presented as. It is more like a romantic crime story.

It also offered a compelling look at male friendship. I found the story to be entertaining and at times to have suspense. I liked the modus operandi of the incident.

Definitely worth my time.



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Review: Night Stalks the Mansion: A True Story of One Family's Ghostly Adventure

Night Stalks the Mansion: A True Story of One Family's Ghostly Adventure by Constance Westbie

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Often, the complaints that I see about this book are mostly about hte facth that it isn't "The Amityville Horror." They are right, it isn't. It is not as well done as "The Amityville Horror." That, however, does not negate it's value.

Overall, I found it to be an enjoyable read, but some of the details are a bit unclear.



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Review: The Loudwater Mystery

The Loudwater Mystery by Edgar Jepson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



This book was originally published in 1920. It is well-written and entertaining. Some of the word choice may be antiquated for today's reader, but I did not find that this was prevalent.

I thought that this book had quite the surprise ending, as good murder mysteries should. I am rarely surprised by the reveal in a mystery, I've usually got it figured out by the time the author reveals it. If I haven't got it completely sussed, I at least have strong suspicion. That was not the case with this novel. I was quite pleased to be surprised.



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Review: The Boddy in the Snowbank

The Boddy in the Snowbank by Jenna Bennett

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



I have seen other reviews that have blasted this story because it is too short. In my opinion, this story is short and sweet. But I did find that it really read more as a synopsis, or perhaps a plan for a longer piece of fiction, as it is only a few pages long.

I also understand that this short story was written as part of a blog challenge. That being said, I could see how the premise could be expanded by the author to form a longer work.

The fact of it being based on the board game "Clue" is a cute one.



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Review: Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health

Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health by Toni Weschler

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



There are a couple of pieces of data that I feel could use updating (discussion of Shettles, etc), but for the most part, I found this book to be an invaluable resource.

I really feel that this book should be required reading for all women. I think that often, education on feminine health focuses too much on menstruation and hygiene products (and those are important), and not enough on what to expect during the rest of the cycle (which is equally as important).

This book and the charting involved can really help a woman get to know her body.



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Review: The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



This book is really impressive. It deals with some heavy ideas without being too dark overall. Dealing with mortality is difficult for adults, and being forced to deal with it at a younger age adds a complexity to the story that I found deep and moving.

While I am a fan of Green's videos, this is the first of his novels that I have read. I do not expect that it will be the last. I was impressed with the book, as well as the quality of the writing.

Most of all, I was impressed with the way that Green handled sensitive material with care and tenderness.



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