Breakout Kings


Breakout Kings is a T.V. series on A&E.  The series finale was Monday and even though it's not a book or movie I decided it was too good not to share.
The whole premise of the show is that a special task force of the U.S. Marshals works closely with incarcerated criminals to help catch other criminals that have broken out of jail. Each episode begins with the criminal escaping and progresses from there. Each member of the team has a special skill they contribute that is essential to catching the fugitive.

Charlie Duchamp: Charlie is the U.S. Marshal in charge of the team. Formerly assigned to a desk he is using the team as a chance to prove himself in the field; because he has a heart problem he doesn't want to be stuck at a desk for the rest of his career. He is married and sometimes has a problem balancing family and work life.

Ray Zancanelli: Ray used to be a Marshal but was sent to a halfway house after stealing money from a crime scene in order to buy his daughter a car. Ray did not initially tell the cons that he is not a Marshal. Ray is divorced and doesn't get on well with his ex-wife but loves his daughter. Ray is tough; he doesn't take crap and isn't afraid to throw someone around if it means getting the information he needs.

Julianne Simms: Jules is a quiet but a whiz on the computer. She suffers from multiple psychological disorders such as social anxiety and panic disorder; because of these problems she was expelled from the Academy. Jules and Ray have a special relationship, they go way back and Ray was the one who helped Jules out after she was tossed. Ray especially requested her for the team.

Shea Daniels: Shea is a former gang banger who ran one of the largest "businesses" on the East Coast and at a very young age. He has a working knowledge of the inner world of crime and can use his street connections to help the team. This sometimes conflicts with his former life because if his associates found out that he was helping cops then Shea would be in danger. Shea has a girlfriend named Vanessa.

Erica Reed: Erica was a bounty hunter with her father. She was devoted to him and when he was killed she swore revenge against those that had killed him. She hunted down and killed every one of the men but it could never be proven, so she was sent to jail on weapons charges. Erica is devoted to her little girl; her whole purpose on the team is to be able to see her daughter again. Erica doesn't take crap from anyone but is invaluable in predicting fugitives' movements.  

Dr. Lloyd Lowry: Lloyd was a child prodigy, he graduated from school at an early age and is an expert on behavior. He provides a psychological breakdown of not only the fugitives, but everyone else on the team which gets on some nerves. By explaining the minds of the fugitives he can more readily predict the fugitive's next movement. Lloyd has a tendency to say awkward statements and has a less than healthy relationship with his mother.

Fans of Prision Break may enjoy this show. Lloyd is easily my favorite character but this is one of those rare shows where I like all of the characters and the way they work off of each other is golden. It's funny, gripping, realistic, and entertaining. I sincerely hope it is renewed for a second season.


Note: The show was cancelled by A&E after two seasons. Executive producer Nick Santora thanked fans for their support and explained how the show would have ended had it had more time to resolve the story line. So as not to give anything away the link to the story can be found here: http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/05/17/breakout-kings-cancelled/

Spotlight on an Author

Catherine Coulter

Well-known for her bestselling FBI thrillers, Catherine Coulter has also written historical romances which is how she became an author. I first discovered her through the book The Deception but soon became an avid fan of her suspense mysteries. The thrillers are unpredictable and riveting with just the right amount of romance- enough to keep you interested without overwhelming the plot. The Cove is the first book in her FBI series, but the books can be read out of order; I started with Whiplash. The main characters are a man and woman, the same characters pop up throughout the series but they are not always the main focus. The woman are strong and self-sufficient without being overbearing and the men are the same.
The historical romances are both accurate and engaging. The women are not the type to faint away at the sight of blood and yes, the men are stereotypically nefarious or blustery saying things like, "Damnation!" and being ruggedly handsome.

The Cove

Sally Brainerd is on the run; her high-profile father has been murdered and more than one person is after her. Her estranged husband wants to put her back into the mental institution she escaped from, the doctor who abused her in her incarceration wants control over her again, and Special Agent James Quinlan is undercover and in hot pursuit. Sally's father was into something dangerous and Sally may have the clues James needs to solve the case.
Sally escapes to the Cove, a tiny town that caters to tourists by selling their famous World's Greatest Ice Cream. The Cove is not just a small town full of the elderly and infirm however, something sinister lurks beneath the quaint exterior of charm; something dangerous...

   The Deception

Evangeline de Beauchamps is part English and part French, she lives in France with her father during the Napoleonic era. One night her father is kidnapped by supporters of Napoleon who want to see the Emperor take back the Empire taken from him by the English.  Evangeline is chosen to become a spy to the Duke of Portsmouth because her cousin was once married to the Duke before she died. Evangeline has no choice, she must worm her way into the Duke's household so that she can pass information onto the French, if she refuses then her father will die.

Evangeline persuades the Duke to give her a position as governess to his young son Edward. But as time passes Evangeline's guilt grows along with her feelings towards the Duke and his son. Her position is made harder by the fact that the Duke's friend was murdered by French supporters and the Duke himself is vehemently anti-Napoleon.

I will admit the story is a little hokey, it's all melodrama and instant attraction but well the worth the read if you ever find yourself bored on a rainy afternoon.

Postcard Killers

By James Patterson and Liza Marklund

This story will make you think twice about meeting strangers while on vacation...
Europe is being plagued by serial killers; an unknown couple is murdering young honeymooners all over the continent. Before they do, they send a postcard to a local newspaper with a Shakespeare quote warning the world that another murder has been committed.
The killers meet unsuspecting honeymooners and persuade them to go back to their hotel, they then brutally murder the two and escape before anyone finds the bodies.

Jack Kanon is an American policeman and his daughter Kimmy was murdered in Rome with her new husband by the postcard killers. Hunting down the murdering couple becomes his obsessive goal and he follows them across Europe as they leave a trail of bodies in their wake. 

Dessie Larsson is a Swedish journalist who receives a mysterious postcard in the mail, she frantically realizes it's the calling card of the postcard killers. Jack catches up with her and together they work to find out who and where the postcard killers are and who they may be killing next...

It was a good thriller; twists and turns abound and it's exciting to delve deeper into the minds of the psycho killers, especially when it turns out that they are murdering in the name of art.

  

The Adjustment Bureau

Starring: Matt Damon, Emily Blunt, Anthonie Mackie, Terence Stamp, John Slattery

Rating: PG-13

Score: 3/4

Based on the short story Adjustment Team by Philip K. Dick, this is a story revolving around the concepts of fate, predestination, and free will.

David Norris is a popular New York politician running for the US Senate. Because of his rowdy ways, he does not win. On election night he goes to the bathroom to review his concession speech and meets Elise, a free-spirited dancer hiding from security because she crashed a wedding.
Only a few days later he meets Elise on a bus and they flirt back and forth realizing they are attracted to each other. She gives David her phone number. But David will have a hard time calling her because the adjustment team is on his tail.

The Adjustment Bureau is a secret organization that keeps everyone "on plan." The head of the bureau, the Chairman, has created a plan for every human on Earth and they have to stick to it. David's plan does not let him be together with Elise, he is meant to do great things but can't if he stays with her.  David doesn't like the idea of fate and decides to fight for free will by doing everything he can to find Elise.

There are obvious parallels between adjusters and angels, and the idea of the Chairman as God. It's a thought provoking story; are we here to fulfill a fate already planned for us or do we have the choice to do what we want with our lives?

It's not a confusing storyline to follow as some critics are saying, it's pretty straightforward and I would recommend it.