Review: KILLER SENTENCE - HAILEY DEAN MYSTERIES

KILLER SENTENCE: HAILEY DEAN MYSTERIES (Hallmark, 2019)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Hailey Dean knows District Attorney Paulina D'Orazio is innocent of the murder of a man she once put behind bars and must do all she can to prove it in the face of mounting evidence.

Recently I'd seen several listings for 'Hailey Dean Mysteries' on British television; what looked like multiple telemovies. I was curious, having never heard of the character before, so when one popped up this weekend, I decided to spend some 'lockdown' time checking it out. I learned later this instalment concluded a multiple telemovie arc last year where Hailey Dean, a former prosecutor who is now a therapist, and her friends and former colleagues deal with the pending parole of a wife killer.

I went into this completely clean, having no idea about the characters or storyline other than the tagline above. So, what did I think? Overall it's a so-so telemovie, nowhere near the quality of other crime dramas like the Jesse Stone series. It didn't help that the first few minutes were full of one of my personal pet peeves: unnatural info-dumps and clanging dialogue where characters recount in details things they'd know about others in order to deliver that information to the audience.

Honestly, it reminded me of the 'what not to do' sort of examples in screenwriting manuals. I was tempted to switch the telemovie off, however I persisted - curious to see if things settled down or the characters grew on me. The underlying story is a fairly interesting one. A man who killed his wife is paroled (he served 10 years for manslaughter) and is now back in town, in his old house and doing a book launch about his case. As you can imagine, that bothers many people, from Hailey (Kellie Martin and her former boss, District Attorney Paulina D'Orazio (Lauren Holly) to the sister of the killer's wife, neighbours, and townsfolk. When the man turns up dead, stabbed in his home, there are plenty of suspects, but the police eventually close in on Paulina, and Hailey has to clear her name.

While I wouldn't recommend fans of crime drama race out to immediately watch the Hailey Dean Mysteries (there are so many other great options with better acting and writing, whether you want cosy or edgy), it was a relatively pleasant 90 minutes. An okay storyline and some decent characters.

Note: I learned after I began watching that this popular Hallmark series is based on the books of Nancy Grace, a former Atlanta prosecutor who became a well-known TV pundit and host in the United States. I don't know how closely the telemovies match the books, but Nancy Grace makes a brief cameo in this tale, as apparently she does in all of the other Hallmark movies in the series.

Middling but not awful, not bad for whiling away the time.

Craig Sisterson is a lawyer turned features writer from New Zealand, now living in London. In recent years he’s interviewed hundreds of crime writers and talked about the genre on national radio, top podcasts, and onstage at books festivals on three continents. He has been a judge of the Ned Kelly Awards and the McIlvanney Prize, and is founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards and co-founder of Rotorua Noir. You can heckle him on Twitter. 

Holds fast as peerless crime drama; Bosch Season 5 is masterful in many ways

TV Review: Bosch, season 5 (Amazon Prime)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Fifteen months after bringing his mother's killer to justice, Bosch finds himself seeking the truth on two fronts. New evidence in an old case leaves everyone wondering whether Bosch planted evidence to convict the wrong guy. And a murder at a Hollywood pharmacy exposes a sophisticated opioid pill mill, sending Bosch down a dark and perilous path in pursuit of the killers.

From the writing to the acting to the cinematography, Season 5 of Bosch is another masterpiece of television crime drama. The series continues to march to its own beat, with long silences and ambient noise allowing the actors and emotional notes to breathe. No quick cuts and soaring soundtracks to artificially heighten tension here. The creators trust the material and the actors implicitly, and it shows. The story is delivered beautifully, masterfully.

Drawing heavily from Connelly's recent Bosch novel TWO KINDS OF TRUTH, season 5 sees Harry Bosch under pressure on multiple fronts, as an old case from his early days as a detective is challenged, threatening to return a killer to the streets and put Bosch's job and reputation in Jeopardy. Meanwhile Bosch and Edgar get entwined in an undercover operation to flush out violent killers who are running a pill mill scheme, harvesting from opiate addicts.

Of course, as with any Bosch season, there's a lot more going on too, within Hollywood homicide and beyond. There's so much to like about season 5; I won't spoil things by listing too many subplots and character arcs. Suffice to say it's pleasing to see the return of many familiar faces, who each play a part, along with some interesting new characters.

On the latter front, Honey Chandler's investigator Hector Bonner (Ryan Hurst of Sons of Anarchy & Remember the Titans), and Detective Christina Vega (Jacqueline Obradors of NYPD Blue) in particular stand out and bring a really nice energy to the already wonderful cast. Bosch's daughter Maddie (Madison Lintz) is growing into an even greater role, and her interplay with Harry, played note-perfectly again by Titus Welliver, is a key part of this season.

Bosch Season 5 is another wonderful ride, full of emotion and great characters. There's an authenticity to it, a realness that doesn't need to be overplayed or overhyped, intercut or otherwise artificially enhanced. Just great writing, great acting, and some great visual storytelling. The only flaw to Bosch is having to wait an entire year for the next season.

But with plenty of seeds planted, it'll be interesting to see just what book/s are used for Season 6. Perhaps, even, the addition of another major Connelly character? Worth staying up Late for this Show.

Craig Sisterson is a lawyer turned features writer from New Zealand, now living in London. In recent years he’s interviewed hundreds of crime writers and talked about the genre on national radio, top podcasts, and onstage at books festivals on three continents. He has been a judge of the Ned Kelly Awards and the McIlvanney Prize, and is founder of the Ngaio Marsh Awards. You can heckle him on Twitter. 

Review: Still Life - A Three Pines Mystery (TV)

Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery (2013)
based upon the debut novel by Louise Penny

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec and his team are called in to the scene of a suspicious death in a rural village south of Montréal and yet a world away. A long-time resident of Three Pines has been found dead in the woods. The locals are certain it's a tragic hunting accident but Gamache smells something foul this holiday season…

Canadian author Louise Penny, who'd previously grabbed notice via the CWA Debut Dagger, which recognises outstanding unpublished crime writers, made a real splash in the crime fiction world with her subsequent debut novel, STILL LIFE (St Martins, 2005). That award-hoarding debut (it won Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys Awards) introduces engaging French-Canadian detective Armand Gamache and his team, and launched a popular series that catapulted Penny into the upper echelons of the genre.

I've heard good things about Penny's writing for years, and have several of her Gamache books on my TBR bookcases, but must embarrassingly confess I haven't yet read them. So when I stumbled upon the recent television adaptation of STILL LIFE on British television this week, I was keen to give it a watch.

The Canadian production has a very British rather than American feel to it, other than several accents, which seem a strange mix of American rather than French-Canadian, with some British ones thrown in. As an aside, at first I was a little put off by Chief Inspector Armande Gamache speaking with a very posh British accent, which rang false to me (having not read the books), but this is explained well a little later.

In a way the television production reminded me a lot of Midsomer Murders in style and cinematography as well as pacing and storytelling. There's a definite 'classic British cosy' vibe, just in a Quebec setting, which I actually really enjoyed. Almost like a modern Murder, She Wrote, but in Canada. There's something comfortingly familiar and enjoyable about that tone and atmosphere; it's certainly a refreshing change from the quick-cutting, glossy, forensic-heavy crime shows that dominate TV channels nowadays.

Gamache and his team are called to Three Pines, a quaint rural village near Montreal populated by artistic, outdoorsy and carefree types who live a different kind of life to the big city. When the body of a beloved villager is found shot dead in the woods, no one wants to believe it's anything other than a tragic accident. But there are plenty of puzzling aspects, and the reactions of some in the victim's circle are suspicious.

Louise Penny and Nathaniel Parker
(Armande Gamache) on set

Once I got past the accent, I really enjoyed British actor Nathaniel Parker's performance as Armand Gamache, as well as the interactions between his team as the stresses of the case unfold. Inspector Jean-Guy Beauvoir (Anthony Lemke) and Inspector Yvette Nichol are both very intriguing foils, particular the latter, with her abrupt manner and inability to see past her own conclusions, which nevertheless can be correct.

The mystery itself unfolds largely as any fan of classic cosies would expect - clues point in different directions, there are suspects who seem like the culprit before being discarded, we're left wondering what has really gone on or whether our heroic cops will come to the right conclusions (if we've already got ahead of them in some ways). I liked the incorporation of both artistic and hunting aspects of the rural life into the tale, and felt that the setting and the wider cast of characters were all pretty interesting and nicely evoked.

Overall this is a good television film, nicely enjoyable, without being in any way groundbreaking or 'wow'. I would certainly watch more TV adaptations of Penny's novels, and it has underlined for me that I really should read some of her books themselves. In particular, Gamache and his team offer a lot of intriguing possibilities, in terms of character development along the course of a series. I liked the languid pace, the way things unfolded, rather than being rushed, and particularly the 'old-school' investigation that involved more deductions by the detectives than some modern cop shows that just follow the evidence.

If you like modern takes on the classic murder mystery formula, Still Life is a very nice way to spend an hour and a half or so of your time.

Bosch: an iconic cop shines onscreen

Bosch (television series, Amazon Prime, 2015)

Reviewed by Craig Sisterson

I was a little hesitant about seeing Harry Bosch brought to screen (so many adaptations of great fiction characters disappoint), as Michael Connelly has created a truly terrific series of crime novels.

However, once I started watching this series on its release back in February, I ended up binge-watching the entire thing in one go. And then I rewatched several episodes with a friend who hadn't yet seen it. It is really wonderful. Languid, gorgeous, with all the political and personal conflict, layers, texture, and subtext you could want.

Titus Welliver is remarkable as Hieronymous "Harry" Bosch - a really tricky role as it's such an iconic crime fiction character, beloved by millions, and Harry Bosch is also a very internal, dogged character rather than showy or visual. This makes him a tougher transfer to the 'sight and sound' world of screen storytelling than all-action heroes like Jack Reacher. Despite these challenges though, Welliver, as with many other cast members, shines in the quieter moments, delivering so much story through glances, pauses, and timing. The writers and crew let the cast do their thing, not trying to pack the screentime with never-ending witty dialogue and non-stop action, instead using the gaps to add layers of subtext to an engrossing tale.

The series wonderfully weaves together three different Michael Connelly books (THE CONCRETE BLONDE, CITY OF BONES, and ECHO PARK) that mark different periods of the on-the-page character's long career, updates the timeline to the modern-day (via some very good choices by the producers and writers about how to do this), and extracts great performances from a terrific cast of top quality character actors.

Beautiful cinematography, a real 'film' feel to this TV show, brings LA to life as a character in what is a gripping and absorbing drama. Bosch is a somewhat different style to many crime dramas, more slow-paced with more silences, allowing things to 'breathe' rather than using quick cuts. Almost reminiscent of stories like Chinatown. This could throw some viewers who are more used to seeing stories told in other ways, but it's never that nothing is going on - there is a lot going on, but it's in the small things (and you have to pay attention, or you might miss lots of wee hints and character touches).

Overall, I was incredibly pleased with Bosch. I was concerned going into it, that my high standards for the character and Connelly's stories would make it hard to love or even like a screen adaptation. But I'm completely sold on what the creators of Bosch are doing. Yes, there are changes from the books, but to me it doesn't diminish the stories told. Magnificent. Deserving of Emmy consideration, whether it gets it or not. I'm very much looking forward to more seasons, as the cast and crew have created something really special.

Bosch is available to watch on Amazon Prime, and will in future be screened on Sky TV in New Zealand. 

Gandalf, Magneto, and Mr Holmes...

The great British actor Sir Ian McKellan has performed all sorts of roles over several decades of his magnificent career, on stage and screen.

For New Zealanders he is most well-known as Gandalf in the Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies, and McKellen was a welcome addition to the New Zealand arts and cultural landscape for several years as he spent a lot of time in Wellington and elsewhere around the country while filming those six movies with Sir Peter Jackson.

Now this year Sir Ian will be taking on crime fiction's most famous fictional character: the immortal Sherlock Holmes. Recently portrayed by the likes of Robert Downey Jr, Benedict Cumberbatch, and Jonny Lee Miller, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's creation is seen in a different light in the upcoming film. The new movie explores Holmes' final case, as a retired, beekeeping 90-something-year-old in the countryside, McKellan plays the lead role in Mr Holmes. Today McKellan shared the official teaser trailer for the upcoming film on his Facebook page. You can view that here.

Bosch starts today!

Ali Karim, Michael Connelly, Ayo Onatade, Mike Stotter, and Craig Sisterson at the Bosch London premiere

Last week I had the pleasure of attending the London premiere screening of Bosch, the groundbreaking Amazon Prime television series that finally brings one of contemporary crime fiction's greatest characters to the screen. I felt very lucky to get to attend the premiere, for a number of reasons.

First, it was great to catch up with Michael Connelly, who I've interviewed before for both the Canvas magazine of the Weekend Herald and the New Zealand Listener. Michael is one of my all-time favourite crime writers, from way back before I became a crime fiction reviewer, interviewer, and award judge.  I remember reading THE POET more than a decade ago and immediately knowing I'd found another terrific author who I'd follow for book after book. Last time I met Michael in person was in New Zealand four years ago, when I interviewed him onstage for the NZ premiere of The Lincoln Lawyer movie.

I remember chatting to Michael at the time about the potential to bring his most beloved character, LAPD detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch, to the screen. At the time the rights to the Bosch series had been optioned and stuck in 'development hell' for many years, with many false-starts, and Michael seemed a little resigned to the fact that nothing was on the immediate horizon. We also had a fun discussion about Matthew McConaughey taking a dramatic turn as Mickey Haller, and who we could envisage ever playing Bosch (it was hard to think of viable candidates). So it's terrific to see things come full circle in a way, meeting up with Michael again for the premiere of Bosch, meeting Titus Welliver who plays Bosch, and also having a great chat about how McConaughey's dramatic acting career has gone from strength to strength since The Lincoln Lawyer. 

Titus Welliver, who is superb as Bosch,
and myself at the London premiere. 

Second, it was terrific to meet Titus Welliver, who brings Harry Bosch to life onscreen in a way I'd not dared to think was possible. Back when Michael and I chatted about potential screen adaptations, I struggled to think of an actor who could bring it off, as Bosch is such an internal and in some ways non-demonstrative character (despite being a man of dogged action and relentless will). A big name film actor could have got the 'Tom Cruise as Jack Reacher - pfffftttt' backlash from longtime fans, and lesser-known character actors might have been dismissed by some as not having enough gravitas or cachet for such an iconic role.

But boy have I been impressed by Titus. I've seen advance screeners of the first four episodes of the new Amazon Prime series, and for me, he completely embodies Harry Bosch. It's the little things he does, the quiet moments, where he just brings so much to the character. I interviewed Michael earlier that afternoon about bringing Bosch to screen, and got some great insights into why Michael wanted Titus to play Bosch, and the challenges of bringing that character to screen. I'm writing a feature for Crime Time magazine in the UK from that interview, which I will share later.

In a very strange way, that I never expected, I now picture Titus when I think of Harry Bosch. His performance is that powerful, in a good way. As you can see from the photo above, I'm a Sons of Anarchy fan (great TV show), and so I'd been somewhat familiar with Titus as he had a recurring role as Irish gun runner 'Jimmy O' in that California-based series. It was a real pleasure to meet Titus and chat a bit about bringing Bosch to screen (I'll be incorporating his comments into the Crime Time piece too). Incidentally, when he saw me at the pre-screening drinks, he yelled out 'Nice t-shirt', with a big grin on his face.

Last but not least, along with catching up with Michael and meeting Titus, one of the best things about the London premiere of Bosch was getting to share the whole experience with three fellow crime fiction buffs who I'd known or known of online and by email for a number of years, but hadn't met in person until now. In New Zealand I'm used to attending some terrific books events as part of a general literary crowd, where I'm often somewhat tabbed as 'the crime guy' amongst media and reviewers. So it has been lovely to meet Ali Karim, Ayo Onatade, and Mike Stotter, all of whom write for Shots magazine (Mike is the editor), and are powerful voices in the crime fiction community not only in Britain, but also North America. We had a great time together, including having a quiet drink with Michael at a nice little pub down the road afterwards, and I'm looking forward to seeing a lot more of each of them in the months ahead, as I'll be based in London.

Bosch star Titus Welliver, Shots magazine's Ayo Onatade, author and producer Michael Connelly, and myself 

The one downside of attending the London premiere (and this is a tiny quibble)? After having watched the first four episodes the night before, and watching the pilot again at the premiere... I was champing at the bit to see the entire ten episode of Bosch. The series is beautifully shot - it's really cinematic in nature and tone - and is just an absorbing drama that is quite different to many other things on screen. Titus brings Bosch to life wonderfully, and there are some cracking performances by a high-quality cast of familiar faces (actors from shows like The Wire, and more). The first season mixes plotlines from three of Michael's books - THE CONCRETE BLONDE, CITY OF BONES, and ECHO PARK, in a very intriguing way.

I'm very excited that the entire ten episodes of Bosch will all be available for download, perfect for binge-watchers like myself, on Friday 13 February. Amazon Prime is doing things a little differently to traditional television dramas, and I really like it. Incidentally, I believe you can try Amazon Prime free for a month, so now would be a perfect time to sign up (I'm going to), try out Bosch for free, then go from there.

There have been talks about a second series - so if you're a fan of Michael Connelly's Harry Bosch books, make sure you download the TV series, and post comments and ratings etc. Because Amazon will be using all that feedback to make decisions about filming another series. From what I've seen so far, I think most crime fiction fans are going to be very pleased with how Harry Bosch has finally been brought to screen.

I'd love to hear your thoughts - please feel free to leave a comment.

Connelly and Welliver talk "Bosch" at LA premiere

Tonight, the highly anticipated Amazon Prime series, Bosch, will premiere in London, after the LA premiere yesterday. Both Michael Connelly and lead actor Titus Welliver, who plays Connelly's beloved-by-readers but not-by-superiors detective Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch, will be in attendance at the London event.

I'm very excited to get a chance to talk to Connelly later today, and then attend the premiere. Back in 2011 I interviewed Connelly onstage at a special Auckland Writers Festival event, the New Zealand premiere of The Lincoln Lawyer, the film adaptation of Connelly's award-winning novel, with Matthew McConaughey playing the lead role of Mickey Haller. At the time Connelly and I talked about any possibilities for a Bosch screen adaptation - many efforts had been made over more than a decade, with several scripts written, but at that time it was stuck in 'development hell'. It's terrific to see a television series coming to fruition - and from what I've seen of the series so far (officially premiering on Amazon Prime on 13 February), it is terrific.

Cinematic and very stylish in 'look', dark and gritty, interweaving three Michael Connelly books (THE CONCRETE BLONDE, CITY OF BONES, and ECHO PARK), I have been very impressed by what I've seen so far. As a longtime Harry Bosch and Michael Connelly fan, I was obviously curious, and perhaps concerned, at how the character might translate to screen, but Connelly (who has been heavily involved in this production), lead actor Titus Welliver, and the entire team look like they've struck gold.

You can see Connelly talking to a reporter about the series at yesterday's LA premiere here.


The entire first series of Bosch, all ten episodes, will be available from Amazon Prime in the USA and UK on February 13. After almost twenty years of readers wondering which actor, if any, could manage to portray Harry Bosch onscreen, the great role went to Titus Welliver, who is a familiar face from a lot of excellent shows and movies, including playing IRA gun running gangster Jimmy O'Phelan in Sons of Anarchy. 

You can see Titus talking about playing the role of Harry Bosch, and the tone of the series, in a red-carpet interview at the LA premiere here:


And here you can see actor Jamie Hector, who plays Bosch's partner Jerry Edgar, speaking at the LA premiere below:

More to follow after the London premiere.

Luther to return.... revamped, in America?

Five years ago, in my very first author-interview feature, I spoke to Wellington-based crime writer Neil Cross about his then-latest book BURIAL, and his writing career. At the time a couple of the major accolades on his CV were a Man Booker longlisting for ALWAYS THE SUN, and praise for penning episodes of acclaimed British TV spy drama, Spooks after he added screenwriting to his skill-set.

In the five years since, Cross has become something of a storytelling juggernaut, as he's churned out movies, a variety of television dramas, and novels - all of which have tickled the fancy of awards judges, critics, and readers/audiences all over the world. He's been nominated for Emmy Awards, won the Edgar Award and the Ngaio Marsh Award, written for Doctor Who, launched a pirate drama with John Malkovich, and much much more.

Looking back on that interview in 2009, it makes me smile to think of Neil and my conversation about one of the projects he was working on at the time - a TV series idea for the BBC which would star a different kind of detective that meshed the Poirot/Holmesian intellect and insight of the classic British quirky cerebral investigator with the hands-on, physical quality, and passions of American hardboiled antiheroes.

That series became Luther, one of the finest television dramas in recent memory.

After three seasons (which garnered eight Emmy nominations), and an exceptional prequel novel (LUTHER: THE CALLING), fans still want more of Neil's writing and Idris Elba's acting.

There have been talks of a Luther movie. And hopes for a fourth television series. But in a surprising bit of news today, it seems fans will see more of Luther, just in a completely unexpected way: it has been announced that Neil will write and produce a US remake of the show (with Idris Elba also producing).

You can read a little more about this announcement on Deadline or the Stuff website. There will be more announcements soon. Big news on the crime fiction front - what do you think of the idea of a US Luther?

BBC crime drama to be set in heartland New Zealand

Neil Cross won the 2012 Ngaio Marsh Award 

Libertine Pictures teams up with Downton Abbey producers for major New Zealand crime series for BBC

Libertine Pictures and writer Neil Cross have teamed up with leading international TV producer Carnival Films to develop a major new crime series set in Rotorua.

Libertine will develop the contemporary drama series with Carnival, producer of internationally-acclaimed British period drama Downton Abbey, for the BBC.

Provisionally titled Bay of Plenty, the series is a darkly eccentric crime drama set in Rotorua, created by Libertine’s Creative Director and multi-award winning film and TV writer Neil Cross.

Richard Fletcher, Joint Managing Director of Libertine, said the series would be shot primarily in Rotorua and the Bay of Plenty with a New Zealand crew and a New Zealand and international cast.

“Neil is British but has lived here for a number of years and is passionate about doing a New Zealand project,” said Fletcher. “A London police detective relocates to Rotorua with her husband and children with the notion she is moving to paradise. In the tradition of shows like Twin Peaks and Fargo the series explores the beauty, eeriness and dark underbelly of this small city at the end of the earth.

"Viewers can expect the kind of darkness that characterises Neil's work but with a quirky humour too."

Gareth Neame, Executive Producer, Carnival Films, said: “We love Neil's take on this story and believe that audiences will be intrigued by the environment and the atmosphere he will create. We're excited to be partnering with the BBC which has had such a successful relationship with Neil and we're also looking forward to embarking on our first project in New Zealand.”

Filming is expected to get underway during the second half of 2015. The project will be financed by international licence fees and the Government’s New Zealand Screen Production Grant (NZSPG). It is the first major New Zealand-originated TV production to be announced since the launch of the incentive scheme in April.

Fletcher said: “The NZSPG aims to move production companies away from the service model to an intellectual property creation model with long-term benefits realised from a production. This project is a direct example of how that is working in practice.

“It will bring significant investment to the local and national economy. The vast majority of the cast will be New Zealanders and it will employ many people from the New Zealand television and film industry and from the Bay of Plenty region. The initial production is being developed as eight one-hour episodes but our vision is for it to become a long-running series.

The project offers opportunities for creatives in the New Zealand television industry to work on a world-class project destined for international audiences. “Libertine was set up with the aim of actively working in the international market. The NZSPG and this series provided us with that opportunity,” said Fletcher.

“We are very pleased to be working with producers of the calibre of Carnival and to have the support of the BBC and NBCUniversal. We could not wish for better partners. Their expertise and market strength are a huge asset to the series. 

“This will give a team of New Zealand writers the chance to work with some of the world's best in television development and will provide exciting opportunities for New Zealand behind the camera talent.”

Cross, who will also be showrunner for the project, is creator and sole writer of the multi-award winning BBC crime thriller Luther, for which he has been twice nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing and which screens in more than 160 countries. His many film and TV projects also include writing the 2013 international hit film Mama, he was lead scriptwriter for the acclaimed Series 6 and Series 7 of BBC spy drama Spooks and recently scripted two episodes of Dr Who.

The series will be executive produced by Richard Fletcher, Paul Davis and Neil Cross for Libertine and Gareth Neame and Nigel Marchant for Carnival. NBCUniversal will handle international sales and will launch the series at MIPCOM, the upcoming television market in Cannes from13-16 October 2014. The deal was brokered by Carnival Films’ Chief Operating Officer David O’Donoghue and Libertine Pictures’ Richard Fletcher. Phil Temple is the Development Producer for Carnival Films. Neil Cross is represented by Michael McCoy of Independent Talent.

David Fincher's take on GONE GIRL

Directed by David Fincher and based on the bestselling novel by Gillian Flynn, GONE GIRL unearths the secrets at the heart of a modern marriage. On his fifth wedding anniversary, Nick Dunne (Ben Affleck) reports his beautiful wife, Amy (Rosamund Pike), has gone missing. Under pressure from the police and a growing media frenzy, Nick’s portrait of a blissful union begins to crumble. Soon his lies, deceits and strange behavior have everyone asking the same dark question: Did Nick Dunne kill his wife?

GONE GIRL lands in theaters on October 3rd.

Okay, I'm excited...

I know the Emmy went to Breaking Bad (terrific show), lots of people are enamoured by the likes of Game of Thrones (also very good) or True Detective (really looking forward to watching that), but for me, personally, this is my number one MUST-WATCH television drama, filled with superb writing and acting.

The seventh and final season kicks off in the United States next Tuesday night. I'm excited, curious, and perhaps mildly terrified as to where Kurt Sutter is going to take us, on this final ride...

Elmore Leonard tale in cinemas this week

There have been plenty of crime stories turned into films or television series, but I'm particularly excited on multiple levels about this week's general cinematic release in the United States of Life of Crime, which is based on a novel by the great Elmore Leonard (THE SWITCH). Starring Jennifer Aniston, Isla Fisher, and Tim Robbins, the film centres on the kidnapping of Aniston's character, the wife of Robbins' character, a crooked real estate developer. However the two kidnappers, looking to extort the husband with information about his corrupt business and offshore accounts, find their plan up in smoke when the developer decides he'd rather enjoy his time with his mistress (Fisher) and not pay the ransom to get his wife back.

Double-crosses and plot twists ensue, as the wife decides to join the criminals and turn the tables on her husband. From all accounts, it's classic stuff from the master Elmore Leonard. Looking at the trailer earlier this month (watch above), it certainly looks like a fun crime farce, with a great cast, also including Mos Def, and Mark Boone Jr (Bobby Munson from terrific TV show Sons of Anarchy). So I'm very hopeful about this film adaptation of a top notch crime novel by a man many consider the greatest crime writer of the last generation (I'd maybe moot James Lee Burke, but Leonard's right at the summit too). 

I'll certainly be heading along to the big screen to watch with some anticipation. 

THE SWITCH was originally published back in 1978. The Dallas Morning News said Leonard wrote the way Hammett and Chandler might today, "if they sharpened their senses of ironic humor and grew better ears for dialogue". That energy and zest has been transferred to the screen by the film-makers, with a review in The Guardian of the film's premiere at the Toronto Film Festival calling it "an unexpectedly winning take from one of the less splashy directors to have attempted Leonard". The review particularly praised the "neat plot flips, its nips and tucks and flies in the ointment", the dialogue - "neatly filleted and served up a treat", and "top notch" acting performances. From outside opinion, it certainly sounds like a very good adaptation. 

On a personal note, I'm also really looking forward to this film as its producer is an old law school buddy of mine, the marvellous Wendy Benge. I visited with Wendy while travelling in the United States last year, but didn't realise her "Jennifer Aniston film" she told me about at the time was based upon an Elmore Leonard book! Wendy has been working incredibly hard for many years carving out a great career as an entertainment lawyer and film producer in LA, and its terrific to see all her hard work and great efforts coming to fruition more and more in recent years (her credits include The Butler, Life After Beth, the George W. Bush biopic W, and the upcoming psychological thriller Broken Vows, starring Wes Bentley, which finished shooting earlier this month). Her career seems to be taking off, and I'm really proud to have such a talented and inspirational friend. She's a pretty exceptional human being too. So go watch her movie! I will be, because it looks great.

What have been some of your favourite crime novel film or television adaptations? Comments welcome.

But wait, there's more: good news for Luther fans

While it was disappointing to see the excellent Neil Cross-penned British TV drama Luther miss out on some further recognition at today's Emmy Awards (in what was a big night for high quality crime dramas, with Breaking Bad, Fargo, and Sherlock scooping awards), there is some good news for Luther fans.

In an interview on the red carpet, Luther star Idris Elba, who was nominated for Best Actor in a Miniseries, talked about his desire to definitely bring Luther back to the screen - not only in the rumoured film, but also potentially more television episodes. You can watch the interview below:

Cook Islands-set TV mystery series gets greenlight

It has been reported that BBC America has greenlit a new mystery television drama series to be set in the Cook Islands. The eight episode series, Tatau, is created and written by British playwright and screenwriter Richard Zajdlic, and will be produced by New Zealand's South Pacific Pictures - a company probably most famous internationally for producing internationally acclaimed film Whale Rider.

Filming for the television series for BBC Three, in association with BBC America, is scheduled to start next month. The drama follows two 20-something British friends, Kyle and Pete, who set off to travel the globe, with Kyle getting a Maori-style tattoo to celebrate their destination: the Cook Islands (a tropical paradise in the South Pacific with strong links to New Zealand). However, the locals react to Kyle's tattoo, which clearly has some meaning he isn't aware of. Later he finds a girl's body while snorkelling, but it has disappeared by the time he returns with the local police. Is he crazy, or did he have a vision of the future? The friends set out to prevent a murder, while questions of love and identity entwine in the tale.

The premise of Tatau certainly sounds intriguing, though like any creative endeavour, it's as much about the execution as the idea when it comes to whether it will make a good television drama or not.

Neil Cross's Luther in the Emmy running

The third season of outstanding British detective drama Luther, created and written by Wellington-based novelist and screenwriter Neil Cross, has received three nominations for this year's prestigious Emmy Awards. Cross won the 2012 Ngaio Marsh Award for LUTHER: THE CALLING, a prequel novel to the acclaimed television series.

I've been a big fan of Luther since its debut, and am very glad to see Cross, and the series, getting well-deserved recognition from fans, critics, and award judges alike. The third season of Luther has received nominations for Outstanding Miniseries, Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie (for star Idris Elba), and Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Dramatic Special (for Cross).

Back in 2009 I had the pleasure of interviewing  Cross for an article in Good Reading magazine, during which he briefly mentioned a television detective series he was working on for the BBC. That series turned out to be Luther, and it's terrific to see how far things have come in those five years, and all the success Cross has had with his screen storytelling (film and television), along with his excellent thriller novels.

You can read my review of the Season One DVD here.

Luther initially divided the critics, but quickly became widely recognised as a standout example of top notch British television drama. The first series won the prestigious Edgar Award in the US, and titular star Idris Elba won a Golden Globe for Best Actor in Drama for the lead role, amongst other accolades. The second season won the Royal Television Society Award for Best Drama.

I understand a film is in the works, though many are also hoping for a fourth TV series.

You can read more about Cross and his writing for Luther here:

• "Terror and exhilaration" - feature in the Sunday Star-Times, September 2012
• "Head full of horrors" - a feature in the New Zealand Herald, June 2013
• "Wellington writer up for an Emmy" - news story in the Dominion Post, July 2014

Have you watched Luther? What do you think of the television series?

Neil Cross's "Cross Bones", starring John Malkovich

First look at Fincher's GONE GIRL

Book to film adaptations can always be a bit hit and miss, so it's not always great news when a bestselling or beloved book gets picked up for adaptation. I am a fan of David Fincher though, so have some hopes for his take on Gillian Flynn's GONE GIRL, which was an astonishingly well-received thriller recently. I did enjoy the book (I may have perhaps preferred Flynn's earlier DARK PLACES, but GONE GIRL was very good), so I am curious to see how it plays on film.

You can watch the first trailer that has been released above. The film will hit cinemas in October.

Are you a fan of book-to-movie adaptations? What have been some of your favourite and least-favourite versions of books that have made it to the TV or movie screen? Love to hear your thoughts.

Bradley Cooper to star in Kiwi crime drama?

Some huge breaking news here today for New Zealand crime fiction, which has been sneaking up on the wider world even more lately with the likes of Jane Campion's acclaimed Top of the Lake, Ellie Catton winning the Man Booker Prize for THE LUMINARIES (a historical murder mystery set on the West Coast), and Paul Cleave becoming a finalist for a prestigious Edgar Award for JOE VICTIM.

Now, Auckland-based writer Ben Sanders, who has three terrific local crime novels under his belt and was recently picked up by a US publisher to kickstart a new US-based series, has raised the bar again. Ben has been working on AMERICAN BLOOD, which is due to be published in 2015. I can't share too many details about the book yet, other than to say that Ben has been very excited about what is going on, when I've talked to him a few times recently. However, what I can share is this breaking news, courtesy of film industry bible, The Hollywood Reporter:

Warner Bros. Nabs 'American Blood' With Bradley Cooper Attached to Star 

Warner Bros. has acquired American Blood, an upcoming crime novel by Ben Sanders, with Bradley Cooper attached to star and produce... The story follows Marshall Grade, an NYPD officer turned mob informant, who, while living in the witness protection programme in New Mexico, is pulled into a dangerous investigation involving a missing woman.  

You can read the full Hollywood Reporter story here. 

NZ-based crime drama scoops Golden Globe Award

Yesterday NZT, the trophies for outstanding television and film performances and productions were dished out at the annual Golden Globe Awards (which I've always thought seemed the more-fun yet still prestigious cousin compared to the TV-only Emmys and film-only Oscars).

And once again, there was a wee bit of New Zealand on show, with Elisabeth Moss (previously famous for Mad Men) scooping the Best Actress in a mini-series award for her lead role in Top of the Lake, the Jane Campion-helmed crime drama set in New Zealand's southern lakes area. "Oh s***. I really didn't expect this to happen. I'm totally shaking," Moss reportedly told the star-studded crowd in Los Angeles.

In Top of the Lake, Moss plays a detective investigating the disappearance of a pregnant 12-year-old girl. The six-part series has been described as an atmospheric drama which "examines the darkest sides of human nature in an unflinching and undeniably compelling way, showcasing an entirely different side of Moss from her Mad Men character".You can read an interview with Moss about her role here.

"We love to watch heroes suffer" - Neil Cross

Last year, Neil Cross won the 2012 Ngaio Marsh Award for his outstanding novel LUTHER: THE CALLING, which was a prequel to his multi-award-winning TV show Luther, starring Idris Elba.

The third season of this vivid, brutal, remarkable crime drama has just premiered in the US earlier this week, and today I came across an intriguing interview Cross gave with BBC America.

Cross makes some really interesting and insightful observations about writing for an audience ("The truth is that I think it’s a mistake for any writer to try to analyze why people like or dislike stuff that you do, because in the first instance you want to write things that you would want to watch, and hope that other people want to watch it too"), and what we want to see our 'heroes' go through.

Talking about the perverse enjoyment we have in watching heroes taken to the very edge, Cross says:

"[M]uch as we would hate to admit it, we love to watch heroes suffer. And the greater the suffering and the more emphatic ability of the hero, the more we admire the hero. There’s no link between the two characters but I’m a massive fan of Indiana Jones. What I love about Indiana Jones is he always bites off slightly more than he can chew. The guy he’s fighting is always slightly tougher than he is but he just refuses to give up. And that’s what makes Indiana Jones a hero, not his superpowers, but his refusal to be beaten.

Similarly, I love a scene in ‘Spider-Man 2′ where Spider-Man has to stop the elevator train before it comes off the end, and it nearly kills him, it’s beyond  the capabilities of his superpower, and he passes out, and the passengers take off his mask and they say, ‘oh my god, it’s just a kid.’ Every time I see that I cry. And that’s what I like in my heroes. I love to see heroes who fuel some kind of moral furnace inside them, who are driven to take on the evils of the world, despite the fact that the evils of the world are more powerful than them. And essentially can never be defeated, but they refuse to bow down. And in order to enjoy that aspect of the hero, you’ve got to put them through hell."

You can read the full interview with Cross on the BBC America website here.

What do you think about Cross's comments on heroes, and writing for an audience? Do you like to watch (or read about) heroes facing the biggest, near-insurmountable struggles?