Fighting, fighting, always more fighting

I have HBO Max, so I've been paying attention to all these 2021 movies that, due to a corporate decision in the face of the pandemic, have been premiering simultaneously on that service and in theaters. It's kind of funny that some of the movies have been Oscar contenders like Judas and the Black Messiah (a very good movie, by the way) and some of them have been popcorn fare like this. But, hey, entertainment is entertainment, whether it's serious or popcorn.

Godzilla vs. Kong is perfectly good fun, though I thought the plot was way more complicated than it needed to be for a movie about two big monsters battling each other. But it's not a huge problem and I went along for the ride. But I hope it's not a huge spoiler to tell you that, like Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, the movie isn't really about the battle highlighted in the title, but about other stuff.

Anyway, this movie was decent fun, and will only be more so if you have a really big TV screen to watch it on. HBO Max also features the movies leading up to it: the 2014 and 2019 Godzilla movies and 2017's Kong: Skull Island, which I thought was good in itself, but got extra credibility due to Brie Larsen and Samuel L. Jackson doing their best to elevate the whole affair. You don't need to watch those earlier movies to enjoy this one, but- as they say- it helps.

A busy detective

In this fine, involving crime novel, Lawrence Block's unofficial private investigator Matthew Scudder takes on a missing persons case, falls in love, and on his own starts investigating a sad tragedy involving one of his friends at Alcoholics Anonymous.

All three plot lines are compelling, with the love story being particularly effective because it's interesting and sweet on its own, but also gives the reader pleasant time outs from the dark, gritty investigative details we're used to seeing in this series. Shudder has had relationships before, but Mr. Block extra feeling and depth into this one.

Also adding richness to the book is Scudder's continued efforts to remain sober, which he sees as both a challenge and something to be fascinated by. He's always thinking about his drinking days- what he drank, where he drank, why he drank, etc.- and often seems amazed that something that was so central to his existence before is now something that he pretty much is fine with doing without now. He does remain vigilant, though, and frequent participation at AA meetings are regular parts of these books.

I'm about halfway through the Matthew Scudder series now, and still very much look forward to starting each one. The entire series is available in print, on Kindle, and on unabridged audio.

Satisfying

 

Kendra Elliot's The Last Sister was a decent, polished page-turner, no more or no less. I enjoyed it, so there's nothing to complain about. I also got to read it for free on my Kindle because I'm an Amazon Prime member. Well, I do pay for Amazon Prime, but you get the idea.

A violent double murder with hate-crime overtones shakes the residents of a small town in the Pacific Northwest. When the employer and friend of one of the murder victims doesn't feel that the local police are investigating the crimes with proper diligence, she calls the FBI. 

The rest of the book is basically the FBI working with the town's police department to solve the murders. After some initial resentment, the local sheriff and police department end up working well with the Feds, which made the book more enjoyable. Federal and local law enforcement don't always have to knock heads. Also, a romance blooms between FBI agent Zander Wells and local resident Emily Mills, the young woman and diner owner who discovered her friend/employee and her husband dead at their home when her friend didn't show up for work at the diner.

Anyway, I can go on about the story, but you'll enjoy this fast, enjoyable thriller more if you discover its modest pleasures for yourself. Besides the crime investigation and the romance, the story has a decent array of colorful supporting characters (mostly among the town's residents) and the town has some dark history, including an old violent crime that might be connected to the new ones, which lends additional mood and drama to the proceedings.

Apparently The Last Sister is currently book one of three of the author's Columbia River series. Again, this one was good, so I'll probably check out the other books in this series before too long.