Interdisciplinary Book and Film Reviews

  Columbine: A True Crime Story— A Victim, the Killers  and the Nation’s Search for Answers,  2 nd  ed . By Jeff Kass, 2014 Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton It’s 2022. We’ve heard of several mass shootings this year. Sadly, we know the routine. The news media head to the scene of the massacre. We get early reports from law enforcement. We see heart wrenching images of incredibly sad people near the scene where loved ones have fallen. We learn about the numbers of people killed and injured. We hear the familiar words of political leaders attempting to offer support. We hear about gun control and the need for more security. Sometimes we learn about life-costing mistakes. We see images of flowers and bears at makeshift memorials. We learn about funeral services. And then the images fade until next time. It was April 20, 1999 when Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold entered Columbine High School. They murdered 12 students and 1 teacher. More were injured—21 of 24 were in...

  Authors : Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan Reviewed by Geoffrey W. Sutton Reference Borg, M.J. & Crossan, J.D. (2009). The first Paul: Reclaiming the radical visionary behind the church’s conservative icon . HarperCollins e-books.   Marcus J. Borg and John Dominic Crossan introduce us to the apostle Paul by providing historical contexts for his life and teachings. Early on they explain why only a small collection of documents were actually written by the apostle who wrote the first “books” in the New Testament. Scholars affirm seven letters (aka books) were actually written by Paul: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, 1 Thessalonians, Galatians, Philippians, and Philemon. Scholars believe the pastoral epistles were written later by other authors. These are 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. Finally, scholars disagree about the authorship of Ephesians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians; however, according to Borg and Crossan, most believe these were not written by Pau...

  Wild Fire    Shetland Series Book 8 by Ann Cleeves Wild Fire is Ann Cleeves’ final instalment of the Shetland series . The team of Willow Reeves, Jimmy Perez, and Sandy Wilson collaborate one last time to solve murders closely connected to two families in Deltaness. Emma grew up in an abusive family in Orkney. She came to Shetland to work as a nanny for the four children of Robert and Bella Montcrief who appear emotionally distant from their children. Each of the children play a role in the mystery. Martha is a 17-year old rebellious teen and Charles, dad’s favourite, is 16. The younger two have occasional appearances in the narrative. Helena and Daniel Fleming are friends of the Montcriefs. Bella Montcrief handles public relations for Helena’s designs. Daniel, is an architect who struggles with depression. Their older son, Christopher has an autistic disorder. He has an interest in CSI and plays a prominent role in identifying the murderer of Emma. Emma’s startling d...

  Cold Earth    Shetland Series Book 7 by Ann Cleeves Magnus Tait, the intellectually challenged man encountered in a previous novel ( Raven Black ),has died. There's a burial for Magnus. Then it pours with rain, which produces a horrible and destructive mudslide. A croft house is damaged. The gloomy scene is a setup for murder.  The Shetlanders thought the croft was uninhabited but the storm exposes the body of a mysterious dark-haired woman in a red silk dress. She's been murdered. Willow Reeves and Jimmy Perez work together to solve the mystery, which has the slow twists common to Cleeves' writing style. In the background, the Willow-Jimmy romance limps along. And Sandy Wilson continues to mature. I continue to appreciate Cleeve's ability to portray rich characters on the Shetland Islands and simultaneously weave a complex story. I'm a fan of her style but those who prefer a more action-packed American style mystery may find it too slow. If you like the series,...

  Thin Air    Shetland Series Book 6 by Ann Cleeves Three English women are uni friends. Two (Eleanor and Polly) bring their partners (Ian, Marcus) to join the newlywed couple, Caroline and Lowrie for a celebration on the northern Isle of Unst. Lowrie is a Shetlander and the wedding celebration is a hamefarin' -- a homecoming.  Lowrie's parents, George and Grusche, live nearby and feature in the story. The beautiful Eleanor, intrigued by a century old ghost story, disappears. Her body is found in a small loch.  DI Willow Reeves and DI Jimmy Perez along with Serjeant Sandy Wilson investigate the English visitors and nearby islanders while staying at a nearby hotel run by David and his partner Charles. The pathologist is Dr. James Grieve from Aberdeen. I have a paperback version as part of a box set and recommend this volume to those who enjoy slow and thoughtful styles of British crime mysteries and appreciate learning new words that add to the texture of Sh...

  Dead Water   Shetland Series Book 5 by Ann Cleeves Journalist Jerry Markham, a Shetlander with an uneven reputation has returned from London to investigate a story linked to the island’s energy industry. He ends up murdered after someone runs his Alpha off the road near the Sullom Voe oil terminal. His body is found by Jimmy Perez’ boss, Procurator Fiscal Rhona Laing, in a racing yoal in Aith Marina. Willow Reeves enters this story, and the series, as a tall and somewhat awkward yet intelligent and competent Detective Investigator who grew up in the West Hebrides. Reeling from the tragedy on his home island of Fair Isle, Jimmy Perez slowly finds his way back to becoming an integral part of the team. Perez’ life has become more complicated now that he cares for seven-year-old Cassie Hunter. Initially, Willow relies on Sandy Wilson but gradually, and gently, she woos Perez whose understanding of Shetlanders is critical to the investigation. Two families, the Markhams and...

  4. Blue Lightning    Shetland Series Book 4 by Ann Cleeves Jimmy Perez takes Fran Hunter to meet his family, James and Mary, on Fair Isle. Cassie stays with her father, Duncan Hunter, on the main island. At the same time as the family visit, a group of avid birdwatchers are at the Bird Observatory at the North Lighthouse. It isn’t long before a mostly unloved scientist is found murdered and left in an unusual pose befitting her specialty. As the storms rage, everyone is trapped on the island. And most of the guests are suspects. Another person becomes a victim. And there’s a race to stop the killer before it’s too late to save a third. The severe storms not only add to the general mood of the characters but increase the tension and the psychological burden of the investigation, which rests on Jimmy Perez who must conduct interviews and think through options with limited help from his team on the main island. I must avoid too much detail here because the stunning c...