--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF300020 Date: 11/01/97 From: JAN MURPHY Time: 09:43am \/To: STEVEN HORN (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: Anne Perry > But what I dislike more about Perry is that her characters > don't develop. I agree, except that I would express the problem in a slightly different way. The problem is not *only* that the characters don't develop. There are other writers whose series characters go on making the same blunders in their personal lives over and over, but the rest of the story is engaging enough that the reader doesn't really care. If the books were solid in other ways, it wouldn't matter so much. No, the real problem, IMHO, is that Perry has set up an expectation that the characters *will* develop. We both want and expect Monk to regain his memory; in every book Perry toys with our curiosity about what he was like before his accident. And lord knows she hints enough about the painful three-way relationship between Monk, Hester Latterly, and Oliver Rathbone. There are enough hints throughout that we expect something to develop. And things do happen -- but at a glacial pace. Maybe Monk will get one new scrap of memory in the course of a 600-page book. Or we'll get one measly Incident between Monk and Hester, or Hester and Oliver. The rest of the time, we just get the same carbon-copy churning and angst that doesn't go anywhere. Contrast this with the development of the relationship between Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane over the four HV books by Dorothy Sayers and the difference becomes very clear. And sure, if you compare Perry and Sayers, then it's quite fair to say that there is no development in Perry I wonder how many books Perry expects us to wade through before Something Really Happens? If the length of the Pitt series is any clue, we'll have a long wait. --- Opus-CBCS 1.73a * Origin: Sci-Fido II, World's Oldest SF BBS, Berkeley, CA (1:161/84.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF300021 Date: 11/02/97 From: FRED RUNK Time: 01:22pm \/To: STEVEN HORN (Read 1 times) Subj: Pot pourri -=>While in the White Hart, Steven Horn explained to Fred Runk that<=- SH> Fred Runk (1:300/105) wrote to Steven Horn at 23:06 on 30 Oct 1997: FR> Bayers is an American writer who has a series going that features a FR> NYPD cop named Janek, played admirably by Richard Crenna. Several FR> of them have been televised in the past few years. SH> As mini series? I don't recall seeing spot ads for any episode. No, usuall it's a two hour made-for-TV movie. FR> Hey, what you mean--no character development? Hester and William FR> got a kiss in there a volume or two ago! SH> Do we know where they live and where their relatives live? SH> At least I know what music Inspector Morse likes. Well, remember Monk has amnesia, but we do know he has a sister and we learned a bit about Hester's relatives in the first book. But, we really haven't learned that much, as you point out, in the 4-5? books about them. FINISHED: Anne Perry. CAIN HIS BROTHER FINISHED: Jack Finney. TIME AND AGAIN CR: Batya Gur, LITERARY MURDER, 155/357 CR: Robert Phillips, ed. TRIUMPH OF THE NIGHT, 287/366, ghost story coll. CR: Marcel Proust. Book 2, WITHIN A BUDDING GROVE, 44/546 Email: fredr@gci-net.com ... Pleasures are shallow, sorrows deep. -Old Chinese Proverb- ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: DPSystem:4285 OS2-WARPED 520-290-8418 USR V.e+ (1:300/105) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF300022 Date: 11/02/97 From: FRED RUNK Time: 01:34pm \/To: ROBERT WHITE (Read 1 times) Subj: Dis & Dat -=>While in the White Hart, Robert White explained to Fred Runk that<=- RW> I missed the latest episode (apparently a new one) on PBS. We had RW> people drop in for a visit and I felt it would have been impolite to RW> turn on the TV and set the VCR to record the show with them sitting RW> right there. Do you know if it was based on one of his novels? RW> Yeah, Rutherford was in a few and I think Angela Lansbury ( of Murder, RW> She Wrote) starred in the original version of 'The Mirror Cracked'. Never saw that one. I wonder if Miss Marple was the "inspiration" for Murder She Wrote. RW> P.D. James is coming to Calgary in Nov. to do a reading and book RW> signing, I hope I will be in town to see and hear her. Unfortunately I That should prove to be interesting. See if you can find out what she's working on now and how soon we can expect it. FINISHED: Anne Perry. CAIN HIS BROTHER FINISHED: Jack Finney. TIME AND AGAIN CR: Batya Gur, LITERARY MURDER, 155/357 CR: Robert Phillips, ed. TRIUMPH OF THE NIGHT, 287/366, ghost story coll. CR: Marcel Proust. Book 2, WITHIN A BUDDING GROVE, 44/546 Email: fredr@gci-net.com ... "So--the mighty Hercules! Welcome to our space ship!" ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: DPSystem:4285 OS2-WARPED 520-290-8418 USR V.e+ (1:300/105) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF300023 Date: 11/02/97 From: FRED RUNK Time: 01:40pm \/To: JAN WERTZ (Read 1 times) Subj: PBS Mystery! series -=>While in the White Hart, Jan Wertz explained to Fred Runk that<=- JW> I have really enjoyed many of the PBS Mystery! series also. I JW> loved the "Albert Campion" series. Also "Chandler & Co." It was JW> refreshing to have not only a contemporary mystery, but one in which JW> the detective was less than a cold calculating professional with a JW> genius IQ. This situation also allowed for a bit of humor, and I am a JW> long time fan of British understated humor. The Campion series was especially interesting because I kept thinking I had seen him before. It took awhile, but I finally recognized him as one of the six "Dr Who" incarnations--definitely a versatile actor. FINISHED: Anne Perry. CAIN HIS BROTHER FINISHED: Jack Finney. TIME AND AGAIN CR: Batya Gur, LITERARY MURDER, 155/357 CR: Robert Phillips, ed. TRIUMPH OF THE NIGHT, 287/366, ghost story coll. CR: Marcel Proust. Book 2, WITHIN A BUDDING GROVE, 44/546 Email: fredr@gci-net.com ... An inch of gold cannot purchase an inch of time. Old Chinese Proverb ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: DPSystem:4285 OS2-WARPED 520-290-8418 USR V.e+ (1:300/105) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF300024 Date: 11/02/97 From: IRV KOCH Time: 08:45am \/To: ROBERT WHITE (Read 1 times) Subj: FIDO RW> I should probably pick up Dorothy-L etc. and give them RW> a try, but my time is RW> so limited that I rarely even have time to try solving the 5 minute weekly RW> mystery on The Case website. If you aren't familiar with this one try RW> www.thecase.com for a weekly little mystery by e-mail RW> and some other little Yes ... but ... MY time is all eaten up ... and a good part of it is by Dorothy-L. It's rather large .... --- Maximus 2.02 * Origin: Ice Fire 423-267-3789 (1:362/629) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF300025 Date: 11/02/97 From: FREDERICK OSBORNE Time: 09:07am \/To: ALL (Read 3 times) Subj: Sherlock Holmes Are there any other Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts out there? I know that GT Net has an echo dedicated to Sherlock Holmes. Couldn't find one here but this Mystery echo is as close as I could get. --- PCBoard (R) v15.22/10 * Origin: Lunatic Fringe BBS * Richardson, TX * 972-235-5288 * (1:124/2113) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF400000 Date: 11/03/97 From: JAN WERTZ Time: 11:04am \/To: FRED RUNK (Read 1 times) Subj: Albert Campion, Detective -> JW> I have really enjoyed many of the PBS Mystery! series also. I -> JW> loved the "Albert Campion" series. Also "Chandler & Co." It was -> JW> refreshing to have not only a contemporary mystery, but one in which -> JW> the detective was less than a cold calculating professional with a -> JW> genius IQ. This situation also allowed for a bit of humor, and I am -> JW> long time fan of British understated humor. -> The Campion series was especially interesting because I kept thinking I ad -> seen him before. It took awhile, but I finally recognized him as one of the -> six "Dr Who" incarnations--definitely a versatile actor. I didn't know he had played a Dr. Who! I last saw that actor playing the part of Tristan Farnon on the All Creatures series in which he played a country veterinarian in the series taken from James Herriot's books! Quite an actor! Not only has he driven a vintage car in 2 series, flown a tardis, but he has had to be *very* familiar with cows! --- Platinum Xpress/Win/Wildcat5! v2.0 * Origin: Mr Zip "Home of Aunt Gabby Echo" (1:123/17) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF400001 Date: 11/03/97 From: JAN WERTZ Time: 11:15am \/To: FREDERICK OSBORNE (Read 3 times) Subj: Sherlock Holmes Are there any other Sherlock Holmes enthusiasts here? Elementary My Dear Sir! Can one really call oneself a true fan of the genre without having read The Mysteries solved by the Baker Streed duo? --- Platinum Xpress/Win/Wildcat5! v2.0 * Origin: Mr Zip "Home of Aunt Gabby Echo" (1:123/17) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF400002 Date: 11/02/97 From: JAN MURPHY Time: 08:57pm \/To: FRED RUNK (Read 1 times) Subj: Re: Golden Agers > ST> I recently read "Strong Poison", the first Sayer I > had read and LOVED > ST> it! I definitely plan on reading more. > > I don't remember that one at all. Is it a Lord Peter Wimsey > mystery? Strong Poison is indeed a Lord Peter Wimsey mystery. It is the first of the four LPW books which also feature mystery writer Harriet Vane. Following it are HAVE HIS CARCASE, GAUDY NIGHT, and BUSMAN'S HONEYMOON. As I recall, the events of MURDER MUST ADVERTISE take place before GAUDY NIGHT (Peter makes an allusion to them early in GN). --- Opus-CBCS 1.73a * Origin: Sci-Fido II, World's Oldest SF BBS, Berkeley, CA (1:161/84.0) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 244 MYSTERY Ref: EF400003 Date: 11/02/97 From: STEVEN HORN Time: 10:52pm \/To: RUSS JERNIGAN (Read 1 times) Subj: FIDO troubles Russ Jernigan (1:104/333) wrote to Suzze Tiernan at 20:13 on 01 Nov 1997: RJ> A good friend (Laurie Campbell, for those who also know her) in RJ> Vancouver, BC, has been having the worst trouble getting out. RJ> Packets upload fine, sysop swears that the upload from his machine RJ> works fine. Do we ever get them? Nada. Zip. Oh, buggers. Fido messaging is always a bit of a bear, even for those of us who run a local net and link directly to a regional FTP site. But your friend might do much better if she became a point and used FTN-compatible software. This business of uploading .QWK packets is a real pain which is why I gave it up 5 yeaes ago. Take care, Steven Horn (shorn@yknet.yk.ca) Moderator CAN_SYSLAW --- timEd/386 1.10+ * Origin: Yukon Mail, Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada (1:3409/1)