Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise

Having watched every single episode of Death in Paradise (most of them twice), there's a lot to discuss. So first, let's review Beyond Paradise which features DI Humphrey Goodman who finished his stint on the fictional Caribbean island of Sainte Marie.

Humphrey (Kris Marshall) and Martha (Sally Bretton) live in Cornwall where there seem to be as many deaths to solve as there were on Sainte Marie. It's not as compelling as a weekly trip to the sun in January but the cast members hold their own, reflecting the setup of their Caribbean counterparts. There's a female DS, the young naive constable with potential, the efficient wordly-wise office administrator, and the annoying off-site boss (a women, which is par for the course in terms of British TV police hierarchy). But where is the bar owner, I hear you ask... this is most likely the Sally Bretton role, as she owns and runs a nearby catering establishment.

It's a cosy watch but I would love Dwayne Myers (Danny John-Jules) to pop by, when he's visiting his relatives in London!

Caribbean or Cornwall

Death in Paradise has seen five British detectives heading up the office on the French island, overseen by the same commissioner (played by Don Warrington, who I first remember from Rising Damp, many years ago) and who now seems to be retiring. The other character to appear frequently in every series is Catherine Bordey (Elizabeth Bourgine) who owns the local hostelry, is Mayor of the island, long-time friend to Selwyn (Commissioner) and mother of Camille, once a DS at Sainte Marie whose career moved her to France, where she has now settled.

DI #1 Richard Poole played by Ben Miller (series 1-3) 

DI #2 Humphrey Goodman played by Kris Marshall (series 3-6) 

DI #3 Jack Mooney played by Ardal O'Hanlon (series 6-9)

DI #4 Neville Parker played by Ralph Little (series 9-13) 

DI #5 Mervin Wilson played by Don Gilet (current) 

One of the great things about Death in Paradise is that the storylines occasionally include visits from some of the gone-but-not-forgotten characters. Long may it continue.

Reacher - Serialisation on Amazon Prime

There have been three TV series to date and they don't follow the books precisely but this is quite normal. Series one was based on the first book, Killing Floor, series three was based on book seven (probably my least favourite of the Reacher books I've read so far - too much action for me but others may prefer it).

Whereas the books seem to be in chronological order, the series are random. I'm not even sure which book the second series is based on, as I haven't read it yet.

Did I enjoy the series? Yes, mostly. I like the character's strengths, even if does take things to the extreme and has to have a bed-mate everywhere he travels. I say extreme because the character is very physical whereas I'm weedy and also a pacifist - why fight with fists or weapons when you can keep your distance and try to work out what to do? Reacher is not quite a vigilante but he will, very effectively, sort things out his way, rather than hand matters to an over-stretched, bound-by-rules police force.

However, those would be different stories, such as Ludwig or Patience, who like solving puzzles.

Julia Stewart books

• The Last Pearl Fisher of Scotland 
• The Pigeon Pie Mystery 
• The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise 
• The Matchmaker of Périgord 

I've enjoyed reading all these books by Julia Stewart. Each one is entirely different, in terms of genre,  story and writing style, with barely a grammatical error.

The first one I read (over ten years ago) was The Matchmaker of Périgord, a quirky love story set in a small village in France - and which elicited numerous grins! I've recommended it to several people (many of whom are Francophiles, as I knew that they would appreciate the humour). 

The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise is also quirky and a little sad, with lots of interesting snippets (which I assume to be true?) relating to the Tower of London since Victorian times, as a tourist attraction rather than a place of incarceration and executions! 

A historically based novel centred around life in Hampton Court Palace, The Pigeon Pie Mystery is a cross between a Victorian murder-mystery and The Importance of Being Ernest. Subtly humorous, the 'upper classes' are not all awful...  

Another complete change of genre for The Last Pearl Fisher of Scotland. An intriguing story about the demise of pearl fishing but a satisfying outcome to the pearl fisherman's quest. 

If any of these books appeal to you, I hope you will enjoy your choice(s). Let us know in the comments.