Murder on the Orient Express Starring David Suchet Reviewed

I recently watched Murder on the Orient Express starring David Suchet and I was reminded of how fabulous Suchet is as Hercule Poirot.  Frankly, in my opinion, he is by far the very best Hercule Poirot ever!  It is as if David Suchet was born to be Hercule Poirot.  He brings the character to life by giving him a face, a "personality" with quirks, mannerisms and recognizable traits.  David Suchet is to Hercule Poirot what Jeremy Brett was to Sherlock Holmes: Absolute Perfection!

Murder on the Orient Express is an excellent story that makes you question what your really think and how your really feel.  Would you prefer justice or the legal system?  Exactly what is justice and who should make that call?  If necessary, could you be the executioner? Definitely a movie worth watching, especially the 2010 version starring David Suchet.

It has been years since I watched the Suchet version of the movie and I wondered how I could ever think anyone else did that character, or Agatha Christie's novel, justice.  Because the plot is so spellbinding, unless a director or writer completely rewrites Christie's work, then the movie is going to be captivating.

Back in 2017, I reviewed the "Murder on the Orient Express" version starring Kenneth Branagh as Hercule Poirot.  In that review, I commented that the actors made that movie.  It is true!  With actors like Michelle Pfeiffer, Willem Defoe and Johnny Depp, how could it not be a hit and fun to watch.  However, the story really doesn't need all the "tinsel" to be rated among the best, but I'm sure they made a big difference at the box office. 

If you only have the time and desire to watch one version of Murder on the Orient Express, I recommend the version that stars David Suchet as Hercule Poirot. 

 

Murder on the Orient Express

 Click Here to Watch Murder on the Orient Express
Episode 3 of Season 12Check PriceThe greatest detective in the world, Hercule Poirot, is fortunate to secure a seat aboard the Orient Express.  The train is sold out, but a friend, who happens to be the director of the train line, assures Poirot he will be able to accommodate him.  After much maneuvering and manipulating the passenger list, his friend is able to find a place for him.  However, this is one train Poirot may wish he had never boarded.  

Early on in the trip, Poirot is approached by a passenger who believes he is in danger.  He offers Poirot a large sum of money to protect him, but there is something Hercule doesn't like about the man, so he refuses the job.  When the man is murdered, it falls to Poirot to solve the crime.  

Who killed Samuel Ratchett and why was he targeted?  As Poirot studies the crime, he recalls seeing a picture of Ratchett in the newspapers.  As Hercule's "little grey cells" work, it all comes together.

This is a must-see movie for those who love a great mystery, especially one that challenges you to evaluate your perception of justice.

45%

Agatha Christie's Poirot: Murder on the Orient Express [Blu-ray]

$29.99

Murder on the Orient Express

Agatha Christie's Poirot, Series 12 [Blu-ray]

 

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A Treacherous Engagement (Gentlemen of London Book 1) Book Review

I love it when I find a series where every book offers a great read!  That has definitely been true for the Gentlemen of London book series by Laura Beers.

When I finished reading "A Treacherous Engagement", I immediately downloaded the second book and started reading it.  Each book is a continuation of stories that focus on the lives of 5 college friends.  They all start out wishing to not be caught in the "parson's mousetrap".  Even though the gentlemen need heirs, they aren't interested in getting married.  At least, that is true until they meet women who make them reconsider their stand against matrimony.   

It has been fun to watch these gentlemen do an about face and to hear their comments on marriage before and after.  

Plus, each book contains a suspenseful element.  Several of the gentlemen are agents of the Crown and have secrets, as well as questionable acquaintances or "business" in areas of town that most titled gentlemen would never consider acceptable.

I do recommend reading these books in order as the characters are more fully developed throughout the series. 

 

A Treacherous Engagement Synopsis

Nathaniel Calvert, Earl of Hawthorne, has a lot of secrets.  Even his family doesn't know why he dresses in old clothes and won't tell them where he is going or what he is doing.  As an agent (aka spy) of the Crown, anonymity is imperative.  If someone let his real identity slip when he is "working", it could endanger his family as well as himself.

A Treacherous Engagement: A Regency Romance (Gentlemen of London Book 1)

When Nathaniel is mistaken as a Bow Street Runner (law enforcement officer), he doesn't correct Miss Dinah Ashmore.  He would prefer to deny any ability to help her, but when he hears her sister, Evie, is missing, he wants to be of assistance.  He lets her continue to think he is just a Bow Street Runner.  

Dinah is desperate to locate her sister and to ensure that she is okay.  She won't just sit at home and wait for news from the Bow Street Runner she has hired.  Therefore, in addition to trying to handle his assigned case, plus find Dinah's sister, Nathaniel has to juggle meeting and dealing with Miss. Dinah Ashmore and her aunt.  It is impossible to be everywhere and protect everyone at all times.  

As it turns out, Dinah's sister is a lot more than just the daughter of a Lord.  She is an intricate part of a tumultuous political case and she may or may not need saving.  Even Nathaniel is shocked by Evie's actions and where he finds her.

Along the way, Nathaniel develops feelings for Dinah, but he must not be distracted while involved in an assigned case.  Otherwise, someone could end up hurt or even dead. 

A Treacherous Engagement: A Regency Romance (Gentlemen of London Book 1)

A Treacherous Engagement: Gentlemen of London, Book 1

 

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Fall Into Winter (2023) - Great American Family Movie Review

I was initially drawn to this movie because of the name, Fall Into Winter.  In our area, I feel like we did literally fall into winter.  One day we were admiring beautiful red & gold leaves and the next we were looking at grey skies and bare tree limbs.  

It didn't really happen overnight, but it sure felt like it!  I keep wondering, where did our fall season go?

The second thing that drew me to the movie, "Fall Into Winter", was the actress, Lori Loughlin.  I have always liked her and her characters.  Thanks to her role as Abigail Stanton in When Calls the Heart, I'm used to seeing her in the kitchen, which is the setting for "Fall Into Winter".  She co-owns a candy shop and makes all of the candy.

Last but by no means least, I wanted to watch this movie because it is a Great American Family Movie.  I have come to rely on the Great American Family Channel to provide me with wonderful movies that do not include explicit content, violent or gory scenes, or foul language.  I find them quite uplifting, peaceful and easy to watch.

Fall Into Winter Synopsis

Fall Into Winter

Kerry Murphy (Lori Loughlin) doesn't like change.  She is quite content co-owning the family candy shop with her brother.  However, when her brother, Jake, informs her that his wife has taken a job in London, England and he is selling his half of the candy shop, she is very distressed.  That distress is increased tenfold when he tells her that he has sold his share of the shop to his high school friend, Brooks McLeod.  According to her brother, Brooks is a very successful businessman who will surely be able to help the shop.

Kerry isn't as much interested in profit as she is in the community.  She has "lived in the same house, in the same town, and had the same job" her whole life.  She doesn't want to make drastic changes, raise prices, or view people as just customers.  She enjoys treating everyone like family.

Brooks and Kerry clash now as much as they did in high school, although Brooks doesn't really understand why Kerry has always had a problem with him.  As business partners, it is necessary for them to work out their problems, past and present, to have a successful partnership.

 

Fall Into Winter is predictable, but still a fun movie to watch.  Even though they had differences of opinion, they both worked toward finding areas of agreement and understanding for one another.

 

More Great American Family Movie Reviews

 A Brush With Christmas (2022)

Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023)

A Dash of Christmas (2023)

From Chicago With Love (2023) 

Accidentally Engaged (2016)

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Hamilton Beach Electric Smooth Touch Can Opener Review

Many years ago, I discovered a hand-held safe cut can opener.  The ability to open can lids without sharp edges has been fabulous!

Sadly, during the holidays this year, I misplaced my beloved safe-cut can opener.  I have no idea what happened to it.  After weeks of looking, I fear it must have been accidentally thrown out with all of the trash generated over Christmas.  

I felt tremendously distressed when I discovered that my original hand-held safe cut can opener was no longer available, anywhere!  I have had that can opener for almost 20 years.  I spent a good bit of time looking at the different hand-held can openers that are now available and trying to select a new one.  There is simply not a comparable "4 in 1" replacement.  However, I did find an electric smooth-cut can opener.  I decided that having an electric can opener again would be nice, so I ordered it immediately.  

I love my new electric smooth touch can opener!  Just like my hand-held safe-cut can opener, there are no sharp edges on the can or lids.  Therefore, there are no hands or fingers cut by sharp lids when removing the lids or when they are "floating" around in the kitchen trash can.

Of course, I still hope my hand-held opener will be found, but for now, I will enjoy my new electric smooth edge, safe cut can opener.

 

Hamilton Beach Smooth Touch Electric Can Opener

Hamilton Beach (76606ZA) Smooth Touch Electric Automatic Can Opener with Easy Push Down Lever, Opens All Standard-Size and Pop-Top Cans, Extra Tall, Black and Chrome

This sleek design electric can opener is rather attractive sitting on the countertop.  It matches my other kitchen appliances, which are all black, including my coffee maker, my toaster and my stand mixer.  Having it out on the counter does make it very convenient to use. 

The push down activation lever is almost effortless.  The cutting mechanism easily locks into place on the can lid and holds it while separating the lid from the can, creating that smooth edge on the lid and on the can.

The can opener does not automatically stop or lift the lid off when the can is opened.  The motor sound shifts to a higher pitch when the can lid is completely separated. (You can hear it in the video below when the demonstrator opens the large can of Cento Peeled Tomatoes) Then, you lift the lever with one hand while holding the can with the other and physically remove it yourself.  That prevents cans from falling off the opener and making a mess.

There is also an area in the back of the unit for cord storage which is awesome.  Thus far, I have not left my electric can opener plugged in.  I only plug it in when I am using it, so I do use the cord storage in the back.

To clean it, you simply wipe it off with a damp cloth. 

I searched YouTube and found the video below so you can see the can opener being used and hear the pitch change when the lid is separated.

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A Suitable Arrangement by Martha Keyes - Book Review

Part of: Castles & Courtship Series of 8 books

I love it when a book makes me laugh!  In "A Suitable Arrangement", Martha Keyes created the characters with wit, sass and just enough spunk to really bring them to life.  They seemed to step right out of the pages of the book to share their thoughts, conversations and actions in my presence.

I really liked Juliana Godfrey.  She held her head high and dared anyone to challenge her simply because she was not born into nobility.  I especially liked the way she handled the head housekeeper who was constantly reminding her that she was not worthy of the title "countess".  I could almost hear the housekeeper's fit of temper when she discovered her sleeping in an "important" place one morning.  

I also liked the way Juliana defended the injured one who she thought was being bullied by his sibling.  She did not hesitate to take action and stand in his stead.

Juliana respected the unique cultures and practices of the brothers of Lochlarren Castle, but after a while, she did suspect they might not be authentic.  I must admit, horse races in the castle would be rather funny, but a bit hard to believe it to be a normal activity. Still, she was willing to rise to the challenge.

 

Synopsis of A Suitable Arrangement
Castles & Courtship Historical Fiction Series

Juliana Godfrey was very practical.  Her mother had died when she was young and her father worked hard to provide for them.  His hard work paid off!  As a wealthy merchant, he was able to provide Juliana with a hefty dowry which would purchase her a place in society.  The right marriage could open more doors for her father and his business, in addition to giving her a title which would require acceptance into the aristocracy. 

A Suitable Arrangement

A marriage to a Scottish Earl that needed money was a suitable arrangement for Juliana.  At least she thought it was until she arrived at his castle and was not well received.  Clearly, it would take a get deal of the fortitude she learned as a child to survive the Highland Scots.  She was determined to adjust and embrace their culture.

______

As his father was dying, Sandy Duncan learned more about the deep debt he was inheriting as the new Earl of Lismore.  He also found out that he was no longer considered an acceptable suitor for the woman he had always thought he would marry.  Even though the family liked him, once her father discovered he could not bring money to the marriage, he was informed that he would not be considered, even if he did bear a title.  

Sandy is also informed that his father has made a marriage arrangement for him that would provide the money Lochlarren Castle, and it's dependents, required.  Sandy's days of freedom ended with his father's death.  He now had to shoulder the full weight of the Earldom.

When his bride-to-be arrived at the castle 2 days late, he was in no mood to greet her with a hardy welcome.  Neither he, nor his brothers or household, stepped outside of the castle to give her a proper welcome.  This lack of courtesy set the tone for the minutes, days and weeks that followed. 

 _______

When an earl needs money to pay ancestral debts, restore his castle and care for family & staff, he marries for wealth instead of equality. However, Sandy Duncan, Earl of Lismore, has met his match!

My Recommendation

The humor in this book gave a wonderful balance to the antagonism between the characters.  I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

 

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Books by Martha Keyes Previously Reviewed on ReviewThisReviews.com

• The Innkeeper and the Fugitive (Tales from the Highlands Book 3)
• The Enemy and Miss Innes (Tales from the Highlands Book 2) Book Review
• The Widow and the Highlander (Tales from the Highlands Book 1) Book Review

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A Brush With Christmas (2022) - Great American Family Movie Review

If you are looking for an easy Christmas movie to sit back and watch, I recommend "A Brush With Christmas".  It doesn't require intense concentration or a great deal of emotional investment, it is simply pure entertainment that provides a welcome distraction from the holiday stresses in your own life.

This is the first movie I have seen starring Jillian Murray or Joseph Cannata, and I found them both adorably endearing.  Murray is the perfect choice to play the part of a sweet, devoted & self-sacrificing daughter and Joseph Cannata makes an excellent concerned friend/boyfriend who tries to be helpful.

___

I watched "A Brush With Christmas" on PureFlix.com.  My husband gave me an early Christmas gift this year as soon as we discovered the site.  We signed up to the streaming service and he gave me a 1 year subscription.  It was the perfect gift for me!  Great American Pure Flix is dedicated to offering "the best in quality faith, family, and hometown-values entertainment".  I have already watched several movies on PureFlix and I love it!   

A Brush With Christmas Synopsis

Charlotte (Jillian Murray) is an artist, a painter to be more precise, but she works alongside her mother in the restaurant that was her father's dream.  She loves the family legacy and embraces being head chef, but her heart is really in painting.  

It is not unusual for an artist to work to pay the bills and "create" in their off time.  However, Charlotte's mother requires more of Charlotte in the restaurant than a normal job would demand.  That responsibility is even greater during the holidays when business is booming.

A Brush with Christmas

Charlotte is torn between the restaurant and her own desire to paint a Christmas picture to submit for the local art festival.  Time is limited, which makes it impossible for her to do both things well.  Under additional pressure from her mother, Charlotte makes the difficult decision to literally trash her half finished Christmas picture and focus on the extra seasonal demands at the restaurant.

______

Wyatt Graham (Joseph Cannata) is very successful and well known in the art world, but he is taking a much needed break from his job.  While business offers him a way to use his artistic ability, computer generated art is not as fulfilling for him as holding a pencil and drawing.  He is happy to be visiting his friend, David, who just moved to Bayside and he hopes to spend time back with his "drawing board".  

When David enters him in the city Christmas art festival, Wyatt is pretty excited to gather supplies and start creating, but finding the subject to draw proves to be a little more challenging.  Plus, he finds himself distracted by a lovely local artist.

 

More Great American Family Movie Reviews

Twas the Text Before Christmas (2023)

A Dash of Christmas (2023)

From Chicago With Love (2023) 

Accidentally Engaged (2016)

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Presto GranPappy Electric Deep Fryer Review

When my husband requested beignets this past week, I realized it was time to purchase a new Fry Daddy.  After all, my original Fry Daddy was over 40 years old.  It served me well for decades, but the time had arrived to retire it.  The last few times that I have made beignets, I fried them in my electric skillet.  Of course, that works just fine, but I prefer the deep fryer that a Fry Daddy offers for beignets or french fries.

My husband's parents were born in Louisiana and we still have relatives living in Louisiana, including my own sister.  Beignets have always been a part of our lives.  After all, one cannot hail from New Orleans and not be familiar with the fabulous Cafe Du Monde and their delicious beignets.  In fact, you cannot visit New Orleans without visiting Cafe Du Monde.  It is just not done!

Since we reside 400 miles away from New Orleans and Cafe Du Monde, we must settle for the next best thing.  A box of Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix and a deep fryer!  

Preparing to replace my beloved Fry Daddy, I ventured over to Amazon where I discovered the GranPappy!  Oh, yeah!  Now we're talking!!!  

This larger version of the original Fry Daddy is awesome!  I can cook approximately 10 beignets at a time in the GranPappy, which means I am eating them much sooner.  Okay, well, it really means I am sitting down to eat them much sooner.  I always "snack" on them as I am cooking.  They are simply too hard to resist!

By comparison, the Fry Daddy holds 4 cups of oil and the GranPappy holds 6 cups of oil.  The GranPappy deep fryer is taller and wider as shown in the photo below.

 

 

Presto GranPappy Electric Deep Fryer

Presto 05411 GranPappy Electric Deep Fryer

I love the larger size!  It makes me wish I had purchased a GranPappy years ago.

I cook in my electric skillets a few times each month, but when it comes to deep frying smaller items like french fries, beignets, hush puppies, fried okra, etc, I prefer the FryDaddy or my new GranPappy deep fryer.  Because of the taller, more narrow designs, they simply do not pop or splatter oil out as much as the shorter sides of an electric skillet will.  I don't enjoy being popped by hot oil, but we do love our fried foods.  Therefore, I consider the GranPappy deep fryer an essential appliance in my kitchen. 

It takes 15 minutes for the oil too heat in the GranPappy deep fryer.  Keep in mind, you are cooking with hot oil.  I highly recommend using the slotted spoon that comes with the GranPappy to lower your food into the oil.  "Dropping" food into hot oil causes the hot oil to splash back on you and trust me, it burns.

When you are finished cooking, be sure to allow your oil to completely cool (I allow a few hours) before you remove the oil and clean the deep fryer.  

Since the GranPappy has a detachable electric cord, I wash the deep fryer after each use.  I have a separate pot with a strainer for storing the oil for reuse.  The lip design allows you to easily pour the oil from the unit without making a mess.  Alternately, you can store cooled oil in the GranPappy itself.  It comes with a plastic lid just for that reason.  Just be sure to wait for the oil and unit to completely cool before you put the lid on.

Cafe Du Monde Beignet Mix, 28 Oz (Pack of 1)

The GranPappy has only one temperature, therefore there are no controls to adjust.  It maintains the proper frying temperature automatically. 

It comes with a frying timetable to help you determine how long you need to cook food.  For instance, fresh cut french fries take 6 to 10 minutes, but raw, battered shrimp only takes 3 to 5 minutes.  Chicken will take longer (up to 18 minutes) depending on the size of the piece.  Personally, I cook fried chicken in my electric skillet since I am cooking 8 to 10 pieces at a time, but I wouldn't hesitate to cook chicken in this deep fryer if I was only cooking a few wings or legs. 

The beignets only take a few minutes to fry to perfection!

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