The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

I Would Like to Know How I Missed Jesse Stone?!?

Well, I wondered why CBS showed two “Jesse Stone” movies in the wrong sequence. The episode that I thought was the first episode actually aired a week after the second episode. Luckily, I was way behind in watching my recorded shows, so I was able to watch them in the sequence I thought they should be in. When I went online to investigate I found that CBS has been airing these shows since ’05… and I can only wonder how I missed them!

Jesse Stone is an ex-Los Angeles Police Department officer who is transplanting himself to Massachusetts…. after being fired for what appears to be a life of very hard drinking. This is where I started the show, and I really enjoyed it. (But, I could be totally wrong, since I haven’t seen the actual first episode…. which aired in February of  ’05.)

There are four movies in the series… Tom Selleck (yes, Tom Selleck aka Magnum, P. I.) stars as Jesse Stone, and he is very convincing as a fiftyish ex-LAPD, with a penchant for Scotch. He takes on the job of chief of police, after interviewing for the job smelling “like a brewery”…. He corrects that…. It wasn’t beer, it was Scotch! The “feeling” of Jesse Stone is… Spenser for Hire. And, it is no small wonder since both Jesse and Spenser are written by Robert B. Parker. 

What I liked about the show is the promise of some great characters. Jesse and Boomer (his Bloodhound) are a wonderful example of true friendship… never judgemental, always loving. Also, something I really liked is that this was the first time I have seen a movie with the leading man questioning the age difference between himself, a fiftyish man, and a prospective girlfriend, a thirtyish woman. Bravo to them for actually being aware of the “problem.” (Although I am guessing that most men don’t see that as a problem!)

On the negative side, though, is why CBS showed these movies so spaced out in time….

Stone Cold… February ’05
Night Passage… January ’06
Death in Paradise… April ’06
Sea Change… May ’07

Since I watch very little actual television (relying on mostly old movies and BBC-type series), I can understand how I could have missed these movies. But, I have programmed “Jesse Stone” on my DVR, and will watch for the movies to be shown again. If I see that they are going to be airing them,  I will definitely post the times and dates in my blog!

(Please let me know if you happened to see any of the four Jesse Stone movies… Click on Comment below… I would love to know if anyone else saw them… and if so, I wonder if  they like them as much as I did…)

PS>>>> Thin Ice just aired in 2009!
              No Remorse will air in May of 2010.

Let's Go to the Bookstore for a Croissant and an Espresso…

We are lucky to live in a city that has a lot of books stores. I have to admit that I usually do all of my book-purchasing through Amazon’s site, but occasionally I break down and buy a book at an actual store. We have five Barnes and Nobles and seven Borders books stores within a 25 mile radius! That’s a lot of books stores!

Recently, though, I have not really enjoyed my visits to these bookstores. On one occasion, two teenagers were seated (plopped) right in front of the area (mysteries, of course!) that I wanted to look at… They didn’t budge, even with me towering over them trying to find my author of choice. On another occasion, people on the couches near my area were talking loudly on their cell phones while I was trying to peruse the books (mysteries… again!)

I have noticed a trend in the bookstores near our home… they seem to want to make the store have the feeling of a lounge… where people can sit and talk, eat, drink, and even LAY on the floor !!!!! It appears that some people go early so that they can stake out a favorite couch to call their own while they read magazines and drink their morning coffee… before reading more magazines while sipping their fruit shakes in the afternoon.

When I go to a bookstore, I am there with a purpose…. I always take my list of books… I go in, find my book, do a little browsing, and then leave. Well, that’s what I used to do. Now I go in, carefully walk around, step over, peer over, or try to phase out people’s chatter.

Years ago, when our children were young, we had access to a wonderful branch of bookstores called Book Stop. Each trip to Book Stop would last at least an hour…. but it was an hour that was spent on our feet, combing through the children’s’ aisles, discovering the latest Bruce Coville, Daniel Pinkwater, Roald Dahl, or  Klutz books. Certainly, we were not having lunch on one of the store’s couches… while talking on our cell phones… while paging through the latest magazines!  Come to think of it, they didn’t have couches, nor did they sell café latté/caffè latte! 

The Pallisers… OR… When Plantagenet Met Glencora…

There once was a Victorian author by the name of Anthony Trollope…

The Pallisers, like the Barchester Chronicles, is based on the works of Anthony Trollope. The Pallisers is a BBC production from the 1970s, so don’t be surprised when you see and hear just that…. 1970s technology. But, you will  not be surprised to see absolutely beautiful costumes and sets.  And the acting is without fault (anyway, to me!)

Lady Glencora is played beautifully by Susan Hampshire (Monarch of the Glen, Barchester Chronicles). Philip Lathan plays her doting husband, Plantagenet Palliser (thus the name for the series). Don’t be surprised to see many other faces we have grown to love….. Derek Jacobi (I, Claudius and Brother Cadfael), Penelope Keith (To the Manor Born), Jeremy Irons and Anthony Andrews (both from Brideshead Revisited), just to name a few.

The saga follows the Palliser family as they work their way up the political ladder. It also answers the age old question…. what’s a girl with money to do!?!

I don’t want to reveal too much, but I must say that watching the series (which consists of 26 episodes) was almost like watching several different miniseries. The Pallisers is based on six of Anthony Trollope’s novels, which is why there are definite changes in the story line. It’s not that it is difficult to follow, but you will be aware of definite shifts that take place with the plots and characters.

Although it is not a mystery, it is a very enjoyable British series… which apparently was shown on Masterpiece Theatre many years ago… unbeknownst to me! 

If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

I have looked at many…. MANY…. authors’ sites in order to get this website put together. The websites that I enjoy looking at are the informative ones, not the cutesy ones.

What do I want when I look at an author’s website? I want a little "blip" about the author’s qualifications as a writer. I would like some information about the author’s "previous life"…. Did the author study writing in college? Did the author hone his/her skills as a journalist? Did the author write a different type of book before deciding that cozies (mysteries) were what he/she is passionate about? If the author had a previous occupation, did he/she write as part of his/her duties?

I cannot tell you how many websites I have gone to that do not offer a decent biography…. in which case I have to go to places like Amazon, and try to scrounge up some information about the author. (Amazon sometimes has a little "blip" about the author under the book’s description.)

Another important thing that I am looking for is a list of the author’s books. I want the list to be a chronological list for each of the author’s series… not a mish-mash of chronological publishing dates, regardless of what series the books belong to. I want the lists to be similar to the lists that I try to offer… easy, concise lists that will help me when I go to either purchase or check out the book.

What I really dislike is when I get to an author’s website and see the "BIOGRAPHY" as just a paragraph of "I have always loved writing…" (Do you know many writers who don’t enjoy writing? Well, maybe there are a lot out there…. but take a look at the internet…. there is a reason there are so many blogs floating around…)

Fortunately, most of the websites that I have found have been informative… AND, to top that… a lot of the really informative websites have also been fun … almost cutesy!

MENU