RECENT VIEWING
INTERWOVEN LIVES IN A CAR CRASH
Collision (Amazon Prime)
Collision is a British police series from 2009. The Chief Penguin and I decided to watch it because it stars Douglas Henshall of Shetland fame. A traffic accident involving 12 cars occurs on a superhighway and three people die. Detective Inspector John Tolin (a young Henshall) and Inspector Ann Stallwood (Kate Ashfield) analyze the crash scene and talk to the survivors to determine how and why it happened on a perfectly pleasant day. Tolin lives with his disabled daughter, and you quickly sense he is haunted by a tragedy, but have no details. Rather than doing the standard follow-up, John becomes caught up in personal aspects of the survivors’ lives.
We see the accident over and over and the activities of the principals in the several days leading up to it. One or more crimes may have been committed, and John and Ann follow all sorts of leads to tie it all together. While not fast paced, we found this a fascinating crime/mystery series. It was written by Anthony Horowitz (think Foyle’s War), and there are 5 episodes.
DEADLY CRIME AND QUESTIONABLE COPS
Bloodlands (Acorn) 2 seasons
Set in Northern Ireland in present day, this police procedural handles complex cases with links to Northern Ireland’s past and the IRA. The principals are Detective Chief Inspector Tom Brannick and his assistant, DS Naimh McGovern, and their boss, Detective Chief Superintendent Jackie Twomey. Brannick’s wife went missing more than 20 years ago, and he is obsessed with solving these new cases. Single, Brannick has a college age daughter and a somewhat checkered past. As he and his colleagues hunt for the infamous assassin called Goliath, one begins to question Brannick’s motives and intents.
I found the first season suspenseful with some compelling twists and turns. In Season 2, which I’m now watching, I have a clearer view of Brannick’s values or lack thereof and am wondering how he will fare in the end. This is a hard-edged, gripping series with plenty of killings—not for the faint of heart.
BOOK NOTES
- My local book group had a lively discussion about Lessons in Chemistry by first time novelist Bonnie Garmus. The facilitator liked it, everyone else loved it. We agreed that its humorous moments made what could have been a heavy work enjoyable. The book’s underlying theme, society’s treatment of women in the 1950’s and 60’s, prompted the sharing of several personal accounts of workplace discrimination or harassment.
- I’m currently reading Shrines of Gaiety by Kate Atkinson. Set in London in 1926, it focuses on the indomitable Nellie Coker and her family members who own a series of nightclubs. So far, I love the writing (meticulous in its telling details) and am finding these characters intriguing.
