The White Lotus - HBO/Sky Atlantic TV - season 1 review

The White Lotus first hit our TV screens five years ago. It was a big success, and seemed to be very trendy, but I didn't pay much attention to it until recently, when I thought I might take a look. If I'm honest, I wasn't expecting great things. Just something superficial and glossy and no doubt very expensively made, a sort of high-calibre soap opera.

I never expected to enjoy the show as much as I did, and in a short space of time I've watched all three seasons. I'm now very much looking forward to season four. Mike White, the writer and director, has done a quite superb job of creating a series that has genuine depth. The sex scenes have attracted quite a lot of comment, but I think the whole show is very well done - writing, acting, photography, the whole bundle. The music is unusual but brilliantly effective, too.

The White Lotus is a chain of luxury hotel resorts in glamorous locations around the world, patronised by the rich and privileged. Season 1 is set in Maui, an island I loved staying in myself (but in a rather less exotic and expensive, although perfectly pleasant hotel) and runs to six episodes. The story opens at an airport. A older couple talk to a young man who has been staying at the White Lotus on his honeymoon. It emerges that a tragedy has occurred there, and someone died. The older people realise the young man is on his own...next thing we know, we flashback to ten days earlier, as the honeymooning couple and others are greeted on arrival by the manager and staff of the White Lotus.

So yes, this is a whowasdunin. Who has died, and why? Is it the new bride, or someone else? The mystery is cleverly contrived, but it's only one ingredient of a complex storyline, full of interesting (if not necessarily likeable) characters. Vast wealth doesn't bring happiness might be the moral of the story. Except that, in one or two cases, it seems to do so. For instance, Tanya, a very mixed-up billionaire, befriends Belinda, a wellness consultant, and wants to help her, but complications in her own personal life begin to get in the way.

There are oddities about the storyline every now and then, choices made about which situations to explore and which to glide past, but overwhelmingly my reaction was positive. And I can imagine academics discussing the show in some depth in years to come (for all I know, they are already at it), simply because it's rich in discussion points, sometimes thought-provoking, sometimes satiric, consistently interesting.

     

Forgotten Book - Rustling End

Douglas G. Browne (1884-1963) was a capable crime writer who also enjoyed success with non-fiction - books about true crime cases and a biography of Bernard Spilsbury. Towards the end of his career, he was elected to membership of the Detection Club, but today many of his books are hard to find. That's true of Rustling End, which was first published in 1948. I count myself as fortunate to have a copy that Browne inscribed to someone who inspired his creation of Stephanie, the young woman in the story.

The first chapter is curious. A young solicitor, John Fordyce, drops into an Essex pub and witnesses a strange confrontation between the landlord, a man called Detmold, and a customer. The men stare at each other intently. Something is amiss between them - yet they don't seem to know each other. Subsequently, Fordyce learns that Detmold has been arrested on a murder charge, and he's ultimately convicted on compelling evidence.

Fordyce then attends a dinner party hosted by Harvey Tuke and his wife Yvette. Among the guests is Stephanie, over from New Zealand. She wants to get in touch with her aunt, but the lady has married unexpectedly and rather mysteriously, and Stephanie receives a letter from her husband, a man called Prowse, who lives at Rustling End in Essex, basically fobbing her off.

Fordyce shares Stephanie's curiosity and their investigations soon uncover some worrying developments - but not the aunt. This is a novel inspired by the Moat Farm case, but it has some distinctive plot features which mean that although the basic situation is straightforward, there's more to the whole business than meets the eye. I enjoyed this novel, an interesting piece of work by an under-estimated author.

Deadly Remains by Kate Ellis

Deadly Remains is the latest Wesley Peterson novel by Kate Ellis, published last year. This lengthy series benefits from a pleasant setting on and around the south Devon coast, with Tradmouth (which stands in for Dartmouth, as Morbay and Neston stand in for Torquay and Totnes in the series) as the focal point, and the base for Wesley and his friend and boss, the Scouser Gerry Heffernan.

Kate's books invariably showcase intricate plotting, something which has drawn me to them since I first got to know her late in the 90s. Like me, she was a big fan of Glenn Chandler's scripts for the early series of Taggart and her storytelling shares with Glenn's a knack for taking disparate plot ingredients and blending them together into a satisfyingly mysterious meal. There is often - though not in this particular storyline - an element of the macabre that adds a tasty seasoning of the weird and unorthodox

The Wesley books follow a tried and tested pattern. They always combine a mystery set in the past, usually told through a diary or recovered documentation of some kind, frequently unearthed by archaeologist Neil Watson, and a puzzle of the present. In Deadly Remains, the body count is high; however, this is not in any way a gruesome novel (or even, in any meaningful sense, a police procedural), but rather a well-crafted traditional detective story.

Here the death of a writer and researcher with plenty of ghostwritten books on his CV is investigated by Wesley, while bones are unearthed in a dig by Neil's team, which is supplemented in this case by young Michael Peterson, whose role in the story is especially well-handled. The mystery in the past involves a plane crash during the Second World War. 

This aspect of the story reminded me of Fetch Out No Shroud by Stephen Murray (the pen-name of Stephen Hayes), a friend of mine who published some good traditional mysteries with the Collins Crime Club in the 80s and 90s (that book appeared in 1990) and who was already well-established when I first got published. He appeared to me to be destined for crime writing stardom. Alas, Stephen hasn't published a novel for upwards of thirty years, but his novel - which involves a body found on an airfield and the death of a war historian investigating dark secrets of the past - is one I enjoyed. I don't recall the details of the plot, but even though I found a rather brutal online review of it from Publishers' Weekly, I still think it would be worth seeking out. Stephen is one of many writers whose talent, I felt, deserved greater success and a longer career than he was able to achieve. 

   

The Lake District Cold Case Mysteries - a box set

Joffe Books are a dynamic publishing company and since they licensed the UK ebook rights to my Lake District series (now known as The Lake District Cold Case Mysteries) the books have been going great guns. It's also been a great pleasure for me to be reunited with Kate Lyall Grant, who was my editor at Hodder in the late 1990s when I was writing the Harry Devlin series.

Joffe Books specialise mainly in discounted ebooks, which they market very effectively. Their latest coup has been to put the eight Lake District Cold Case Mysteries into a box set, which they are selling very cheaply on Amazon UK, and this has resulted in the set achieving #1 bestseller status. An absolute bargain, I'd say, but then I would, wouldn't I? If you're tempted, here is a link to paste into your browser: 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/LAKE-DISTRICT-COLD-CASE-MYSTERIES-ebook/dp/B0H63C9YZJ/ref=sr_1_2?crid=9RMWZVWM47G5&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.APR4VfiNbufrcqt79vNRXSx0jLK71kWxIpDV0nJdTEHNLdkLdRjGR_rOE4Kb8whTppXA0P7v13PejkPXARdgol1lf95SaLlF_NzaEW4ZVs2jxdpdLeWz1Xwr6w-Lroq4JjTfC291OUShz-1fo7bzJfKcpqnFlWj5wlDkSgjcC_OryrjVp7ki3P7u9e8aF_Flr1KkzCY30f6lpCn7x4qfC3FGSL7pIsnT9p5Yc6ymkL8.dXwZr_aJqTR47afcw8ltiGt36XnrZi3TOzuh9JGm6rA&dib_tag=se&keywords=martin+edwards+lake+district&qid=1782752538&s=books&sprefix=%2Cstripbooks%2C137&sr=1-2#averageCustomerReviewsAnchor

Agatha Christie Day at Bolton Library

It's all about Agatha at the moment. Last Monday I was doing a bit of filming, for a video trailer for the forthcoming Marple Mysteries festival in Marple (where else?) next April; this sounds like a great event, and will also celebrate the opening of the town's impressive-sounding new library. At a time when libraries are under threat in some areas (including, regrettably, my own), I'm glad to do anything I sensibly can to support them. 

Saturday saw me travelling to Bolton Library, which I last visited for a talk upwards of twenty years ago, and I recall a grand building in the heart of the town's cultural quarter. Since then, the library has been modernised, very impressively, and there's also a museum and aquarium. I didn't have time for an extended look round, but it definitely looked worth a further visit.

I was invited to Bolton by Caroline Hall from the Library because she was organising an Agatha Christie Day. It's never any hardship to talk about Agatha and her work, so I had no hesitation in accepting, and I was impressed by the turnout on another very hot day. The first speaker, Lauren Field, a curator from the natural history section of the museum, talked interestingly about dogs and poisons in Agatha's work. And there were some poisonous herbs on display - nobody was unwise enough to touch them, but I think we were all rather intrigued.

Caroline interviewed me, and there were some excellent questions from an audience that seemed very engaged, followed by a very good book-signing session. A pleasant visit, and also a chance to reflect, once again, on the vital role that libraries play in our communities. Initiatives like this are definitely worth supporting.  

Forgotten Book - Death and the Sky Above

This month the blog has, for the second month running, seen pageviews well in excess of one million. A big number, but I am conscious that AI surely accounts for a sizeable percentage, though how many, I can't say. So I remain very keen on diversifying with the content that I provide to readers, and I do hope that any of you who haven't done so will subscribe to my free monthly newsletter, The Life of Crime, which you can find here. The next issue is planned for 1 July.

There is also a paid version of the newsletter, currently running at two issues per month. This is The Life of Crime Premium and I'd like to give special thanks to all those who have subscribed to this so far. This has encouraged me to offer a widening range of material to those subscribers. In July, for instance, I'll be discussing a point Jim mentioned at Bodies from the Library - the suggestion that someone other than Leo Bruce wrote one of his Sergeant Beef novels. I'll share the evidence that demonstrates that was indeed the case.

My current plan is to retain Forgotten Books on the blog rather than moving them to the newsletter, but I'll keep this under review. 

Now for today's Forgotten Book... 

Death and the Sky Above is an early Andrew Garve title, dating from 1953. Nine years later, it was adapted by Roger Marshall (a terrific screenwriter, then right at the start of his career) into a short film. I can see why it was filmed, as Two Letter Alibi, because it's a visual and atmospheric story with no shortage of action sequences. Typical Andrew Garve, in fact.

In some ways, it's a combination of crime story and adventure story. There's a murder mystery which forms the catalyst for the action sequences, but the answer to the question of whodunit is hinted at very clearly in the first pages, and it most certainly isn't the main focus of the book. Garve was, in truth, usually much more interested in spinning an exciting yarn than in weaving a cunning mystery. There is, however, a neat plot device relating to an alibi connected with a Test cricket match at the Oval.

Charles Hilary is in love with an attractive and likeable TV presenter, Kathryn Forrester. The only snag is that Charles is married, to the once lovely but fast fading Louise. She's a difficult woman who takes pleasure in refusing him a divorce. They have an argument and he goes to the cricket to cool down. But whilst he's there, Louise is murdered. He's identified by a neighbour as having been present at the crucial time (though we know he wasn't) and he's duly convicted of murder and sentenced to hang.

But a lucky chance enables him to escape from prison, and the meat of the story concerns his attempts, with Kathryn's selfless support, to make a new life for them both by sailing away from England. As so often, Garve's enthusiasm for and knowledge of small boat sailing is a key component of the story. The murder mystery, such as it is, is perfunctory in the extreme, but the action is very well described. 

The Family Next Door - 2025 TV serial - review

The Family Next Door is a six-part Australian TV series which originally aired last year and which I caught up with on ITV X. It's based on a 2018 novel by Australian author Sally Hepworth, whose work I'm unfamiliar with, and I'm not sure how close the TV drama is to the original source. I'd characterise it as a well-made blend of psychological suspense and soap opera, a formula that works very well for The White Lotus, the first two series of which I enjoyed watching.

I've not seen the actors appear in anything else, but they do a good job here, and they are led by Teresa Palmer, who gives a strong performance as Isabelle, a young woman who moves to an upmarket cul-de-sac in a coastal resort in Victoria. She is clearly troubled and trying to find something out about her new neighbours. But what exactly is the mystery that she appears to be trying to solve?

This is a pretty appealing premise, and it's well handled, especially in the early part of the series. Each of the six episodes is named for, and focuses primarily on, one of the lead female characters. So to begin with, 'Ange', episode one, deals with Isabelle's encounters with an estate agent who lives on the cul-de-sac and whose relationship with her husband is clearly coming under strain.

The children of the residents play an important part in each episode, and the child actors also do well. I think it's fair to say that some of the episodes seem a bit drawn-out, as is so often the case with six-part series when there is only enough plot for about four episodes (sometimes not as many!) And I felt the final episode was so-so. But overall, I enjoyed watching this one, even if it's not as good as The White Lotus. Crucially, the central idea that is the basis for the story is strong and interesting.

Bodies from the Library 2026

Bodies from the Library has always been a popular event, but on Saturday, for the first time in its eleven year history, the Knowledge Centre at the Library was packed to the rafters, since the day sold out weeks earlier and there was quite a waiting list. Great credit goes to John, Mark, Susan, and Liz, the tireless volunteer organisers. And the day definitely lived up to expectations.

The only snag with Bodies is that there's never enough time to chat to everyone I'd like to spend time with, but it was good to meet quite a few old friends as well as a number of people for the first time including Ashwin Fernandes and a very pleasant gentleman who came up to say hello. He introduced himself as Edward Young, and who told me something that I found quite amazing. He explained that he was personal secretary to the Sovereign and he told me that, during the dark days of Covid and the lockdown, the late Queen cheered herself up by reading books for pleasure. 

Turns out she was a big Agatha Christie fan, which I didn't know. And one of the books she read was one put together by me, namely Howdunit. I was so surprised I might almost have thought I was having my leg pulled; but no, the pleasant gentleman turned out to be Baron Young of Old Windsor himself. Given that earlier this month, a former Prime Minister enthused to me about the British Library Crime Classics, I really do wonder sometimes if I'm living entirely in my imagination these days, since it all seems too surreal to be true. 

Anyway, in the real world, Simon Brett and I kicked off Bodies by chatting about the Detection Club. It's always good to spend time with Simon, and we'd had a drink and then a meal together the previous evening; he's always a fund of fascinating anecdotes and I was very interested to learn that he worked with David Renwick in the latter's early days at the BBC. 

Then followed one fascinating talk after another from Victoria Dowd, Tom Mead, Catherine Cooke, Jasmine Simeone, Jim Noy, Brian Price, Ronaldo Fagarazzi, and of course John Curran. With such a galaxy of interesting and knowledgeable speakers it's almost impossible to pick highlights, but Jim's reading of a passage from Leo Bruce's Jack on the Gallows Tree was utterly hilarious. 

As usual we ended with an 'ask the experts' panel led by Jake Kerridge and then a wine reception hosted by David Brawn of HarperCollins which did give a chance to catch up with some more friends. The photos come from posts by Victoria, Tom, and Paul Greaves, all of whom will tell you it really was a fun occasion.

Forgotten Book - The Royston Affair

The Royston Affair, first published in 1964 by Collins Crime Club, was D.M. Devine's third novel. It begins with a 'prodigal son' scenario, as Mark Lovell returns to his home town of Riverhead for the first time in four years. Mark, the narrator, is a solicitor who was in effect exiled after he 'blew the whistle' on his half-brother Derek, a journalist, for perjury. 

Mark fell out with his father, who headed the private practice in which Mark worked, as well as his step-mother Ilona, who has always been devoted to Derek. His principled stand also infuriated his fiancee, Frances, and she broke off their engagement. But now Mark's father has had second thoughts and has summoned Mark back. Before Mark can find out what has caused his father to change his mind about their past quarrel, Patrick Lovell is murdered. And Derek is prime suspect...

This is a complicated story, and Devine's method of telling it means that we learn about what has happened in the past (including the eponymous Royston affair) in piecemeal fashion, adding to the complications. The local newspaper for which Derek works is run by a ruthless man called Willard, and it's clear that he's up to his neck in whatever has been going on. The other key characters include Patrick's two partners in the firm, members of Willard's family, and a young woman called Pattie who plays a dangerous game of blackmail. 

Inspector Slade, a tough cop, investigates, but Mark - a stubborn and occasionally, it must be said, irritating individual - insists on doing his own detective work. The plot unfolds cleverly, as usual with Devine, and there's a neat false solution before the truth is finally revealed. This novel isn't as dazzling in its trickery as Devine's best work, but it's still a very capable mystery in the traditional vein.

The Fantastic Detective Notebook by Gary Lovisi

As I've mentioned several times before, Stark House Press do a very good job of reprinting interesting and varied crime novels and short stories. They have also published some non-fiction titles, such as Rick Ollerman's Hardboiled, Noir and Gold Medals, which reflects Rick's wide reading and enthusiasm. A recent addition to their eclectic list is The Fantastic Detective Notebook by Gary Lovisi. This is a much-expanded and revised version of a reference book Lovisi first produced, in a very small print run, forty years ago. Lovisi happens to be a prolific fiction writer, and this experience is reflected in his concise but often insightful comments.    

A new foreword summarises the basic premise: 'When well done, science fiction, fantasy, or horror, melded with the private eye, crime and noir genre make for a fascinating mix of entertaining fiction.' Not everyone likes cross-genre writing, and it's not an area in which I can claim any great expertise, but I was interested to see that the many books mentioned include an anthology for which I wrote a story, The Mammoth Book of Future Cops. The story was called 'Mindstalker', and it represented quite a departure for me as a writer. Maybe one of these fine days I should have another go at a story of that kind.

One of numerous appealing features of this book is that there is a plentiful supply of full-colour illustrations of book covers. The choice of authors and books covered is eclectic, ranging for example from Randall Garrett's Lord Darcy novels to Len Deighton's SS-GB. This is not only a useful work of reference but also a good source of answers to the question: 'What should I read next?' A very worthwhile title indeed.

I'd also like to squeeze in a mention of another worthwhile Stark House Press title, Nothing Darker Than the Night, which focuses on hardboiled and noir fiction and collects essays by Curtis Evans that have appeared elsewhere in the past. Many of the authors featured, such as Hammett, Chandler, and Woolrich, have been discussed extensively before by leading critics, and the absence of an index is a shame, but it's good to see pieces about such writers as Fredric Brown, Elisabeth Sanxay Holding, and Edna Sherry, all of whose novels I find very interesting, and all of whom deserve to be remembered.