All posts by : Gordon Cope

Life In Mexico

Driving in Mexico is similar to juggling chainsaws; it requires agility, skill and an utter lack of sanity.

Mexican motorists approach driving as a philosophical exercise – in this case, nihilism. Passing on a blind corner at high speed while texting is the norm.

Drinking is also a popular pastime. At Easter, jurisdictions throughout Mexico festoon their roads with smashed cars featuring catsup-smeared mannequins hanging out the windows. Beer sales go up.

Drivers at night consider stop lights akin to Christmas decorations, except when the light is yellow, which compels them to stomp strenuously on the gas pedal.

Road crews dig trenches across lanes then mark them at night with a tree branch or an old tire to warn of the hazard. And forget about pot holes.

Drivers in Mexico adjust accordingly. They use mental telepathy to indicate a lane change and, if a more complex maneuver is required, they hit the emergency flashers. This grants them the right to enact new traffic laws, including the right to pull a U-turn over a highway divider or back up along the shoulder to a missed off-ramp. Their universal usage is a god-send to every other motorist, as it forewarns an act of idiocy.

My major concern is that I have become a Mexican driver through a decade of osmosis. While this greatly enhances my chances of survival, it also predisposes major traffic tickets when I return to Canada. I can only hope they still have Uber.

Recipe: Salmon burgers with Tzatziki sauce.

These are great! Easy to make and very delicious, it’s the perfect lunch meal, either served in a bun or stand alone!

Ingredients

1 lb fresh salmon filet (you can also use two cans of tinned salmon, drained).

1 clove of crushed garlic

½ tsp Black pepper

3 Tsp of olive oil

1 cup onion, finely diced

1/2 red bell pepper diced

3 Tbsp unsalted butter divided

1 cup Panko or bread crumbs

2 large eggs lightly beaten

3 Tbsp mayo

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

Directions

If you are using fresh salmon, preheat oven to 425˚F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place salmon skin-side down, brush with 1 Tsp olive oil. Bake uncovered for 10-15 min or just until cooked through. Remove, discard skin and use a fork to flake the meat.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add 1 Tsp olive oil, 1 Tsp butter, garlic, pepper and finely diced onion and bell pepper. Saute until golden, remove from heat.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cooled flaked salmon, sautéed onion and pepper, bread crumbs, eggs, mayo, Worcestershire sauce and fresh parsley. Stir to combine. Form into 4-6 patties.

Heat 1 Tsp oil and 2 Tsp butter in a large pan over medium heat and once butter is done sizzling, sauté 3 1/2 to 4 min per side or until golden brown and cooked through. Smear Tzatziki sauce on toasted buns, add lettuce and serve.

Tzatziki Sauce

½ cup grated cucumber

1 cup plain yogurt

1 Tsp of sour cream

1 Tsp extra-virgin olive oil

2 tsp chopped fresh mint and/or dill

1 Tsp lemon juice

1 medium clove garlic, minced

½ tsp fine sea salt

Squeeze the grated cucumber between your palms over the sink to remove excess moisture. Salt the cucumber and place on a paper towel.

Put the cucumber in a medium bowl. Add the yogurt, olive oil, herbs, lemon juice, garlic, and salt, and stir to blend. Let the mixture rest for 5 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Serve tzatziki immediately or chill for later.

Now available at Amazon!

The latest FBI Agent Jack Kenyon mystery thriller!

“COPE HAS DONE IT AGAIN – DEAD MAN CIPHER IS A REAL PAGE-TURNER!” MC Anderson, founder of the san Miguel de Allende book club  

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek, or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Movie Review

Death to 2020

Streaming on Netflix

This is a hilarious mockumentary highlighting the mad, bad, horrific year that has mercifully finally come to an end. It features interviews with star reporter Dash Bracket, played profanely by Samuel Jackson, as well as dotty history professor Tennyson Foss (Hugh Grant), White House spokesperson Jeanetta Grace Susan (Liza Kudrow), and Queen Elizabeth II (Tracey Ullman).

Interspersed between the faux interviews are clips from the real actors, including Donald Trump, Boris Johnson, Rudi Guiliani and a host of debauched maniacs striving to make the planet shoddier than they found it.

The film walks us through the year chronologically, starting with the undisclosed emergence of COVID in China to its inevitable spread throughout the world to the presidential campaign, Brexit, and pretty much every other dumpster fire you might care to forget.

While it sounds depressing, the satirical narration (by Laurence Fishburne), and such over-the-top performances by Kumail Nanjiani (playing an egocentric dot.com billionaire), and Samson Kayo (a crazy scientist), quickly overcome any misgivings of revisiting the most odious year that anyone alive has experienced.

I highly recommend Death to 2020; if you’re like me, you’ll cry ‘til you laugh!

TV Series Review

Bridgerton

Streaming on Netflix

Based on the romance novels of Julia Quinn, Bridgerton is a bodice ripper set in 1813 at the height of social season. Royalty parades itself in fancy ball costumes amid pomp and circumstance befitting the British Empire.

The plot revolves around the Bridgerton family, where mama must find suitable suitors for her four coming-of-age daughters. Top of the list is Daphne, who has been pronounced the ‘jewel of the season’, by none other than Queen Charlotte herself.

Daphne (played by a doe-eyed Phoebe Dynevor), must navigate the debutant minefield as she seeks out her true love. She inveigles Simon, the aloof Duke of Hastings (played by the immensely handsome Regé Jean Page), to act as a fake admirer in order to ward off her most oleaginous suitors.

Even though Simon and Daphne court one another in chaste fashion, there’s plenty of sex going on throughout the series as supporting actors take every opportunity to fornicate in everything from the library to the back of a stage-coach.

Making everything more complicated, an anonymous gossip with the alias of Lady Whistledown publishes weekly pamphlets revealing the marital secrets of all and sundry, creating titillation and panic throughout the capital.

The series is a lavishly staged period rom-com with laughter, heartbreak and a happy ending. Thankfully, Quinn has penned several sagas surrounding the Bridgerton clan, and we can expect many more holiday treats as her work reaches the small screen. I highly recommend Bridgerton!

Life in Mexico

The Year they cancelled Christmas

Normally, December in Mexico is a cacophony of song and joyous noise as everyone revels in the festive season. Carols play out of loudspeakers, cannonballs burst in the air like pious anti-aircraft flak and costumed worshipers march through the streets of Santiago to celebrate the Virgin of Guadalupe.

Not this year. The roads around the Santiago parish are devoid of the stalls selling religious icons and pork tacos. No lights glitter on the boulevard. The annual firework extravaganza that caps New Year’s Eve has been scratched.

That won’t stop Mexicans from celebrating, however. Christmas is a time for families to reunite, and folks will be heading home to Granny’s from not only the US, but from throughout the country. They will celebrate with traditional Christmas cakes shaped like the magi’s crowns and lots and lots of tequila – COVID be damned.

Hopefully, vaccines will eventually arrive and curb the devastating pandemic. With any luck, everything will begin to return to normal in 2021, and we will once again celebrate not only holidays but life in general. Until then, stay safe!

Recipe: Red Curry Fish

I first ate this dish in Thailand and immediately fell in love. This is a delicious and exotic main to serve guests – plus it`s easy to make!

Ingredients (serves 4)

Half-pound of shrimp, shelled.

Half pound of white fish, cut into 1-in cubes.

8 mushrooms, cut in half.

1 can of coconut milk

1 tsp of red curry paste

2 Tsp of fish sauce.

1 Tsp of brown sugar

2 Kaffir lime leaves (or 1 Tsp of lime zest).

Chopped fresh basil and coriander

Lime juice

1 cup of Jasmine rice. (Makes 2 cups when cooked).

Directions

In an electric fry pan or large pan with a lid, mix in coconut milk, red curry paste, fish sauce, lime and sugar. Bring to a boil, cover, then let simmer on low for ten minutes.

Cook the rice.

Add the fish and shrimp and return to boil. Let cook for 2-3 minutes, until shrimp is red and fish is no longer translucent.

Serve on cooked rice. Garnish with fresh basil and coriander. Add lime juice to taste.

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A Paris Moment

“In Paris, when you walk out the door . . . the day springs to life as a full-blown performance, and if you are not part of the audience, you are part of the cast.”

Sometimes your wildest dreams really do come true. No-one knows this better than author Gordon Cope whose life took a very exciting turn when his wife, Linda, was offered a one-year posting to the world’s fantasy destination – Paris, the City of Light.

They find the Paris of their dreams on the Right Bank of the Seine in Le Marais, a neighbourhood rich in controversy, conspiracy, culture, and madness – in short, their kind of place.

In Paris, more than anywhere else, Cope is struck by the immediateness of his surroundings amid centuries of history, and the subtle rhythms and pulses of the neighbourhood. His observations on life in Le Marais – its delightful residents, fascinating history, and sublime culinary experiences in the local brasseries and restaurants – are crystal clear and create an appealing intimacy.

Some days you might find yourself wandering the narrow lanes of Le Marais as Cope introduces you to the denizens of the area. On other days, you might find yourself delving into the colourful history of Paris.

With a wonderful turn of phrase and a wicked sense of humour, Cope provides an intimate account of everyday life in a magical city!

Movie Review

Goodfellas

Streaming on Netflix

Directed by Martin Scorsese, the movie is based upon Wiseguy, a best-selling book written by New York journalist Nicholas Pileggi. Scorsese and Pileggi collaborated in the screenplay, and the movie was released in 1990 to wide acclaim.

The film is primarily narrated by Henry Hill (Ray Liotta), an up-and-coming Mafioso who uses his amiability to ingratiate himself in the local mob. Along with henchmen James Conway (Robert de Niro), and Tommy DeVito (played by the wonderfully flamboyant Joe Pesci, who won an Oscar for his supporting role), he cheerfully robs millions of dollars from airplane payloads, shark-skin suits from shipping trucks – and virtually anything else that isn’t bolted down.

Life is sweet, with bribes to cops and politicians granting immunity to their nefarious deeds. His downfall eventually occurs not from an FBI investigation, but internal squabbles. Temperamental Tommy whacks a made man, unleashing the ire of Mafia capos, which ultimately motivates Henry to flee into a government witness protection program.

At times hilarious and horrifying, Goodfellas is an entertaining look into the colorful and seedy New York gangster culture of mid-20^th century America.

Book Review

The Brass Verdict

By Michael Connelly

In my opinion, this is one of the LA mystery writer’s best novels. Criminal lawyer Mickey Haller, finally recovered from a devastating gunshot wound, finds himself in the thick of courtroom drama when he inherits the practice of a murdered attorney.

Top of the case file is Walter Elliot, billionaire owner of a Hollywood studio. The press is whipped into a feeding frenzy when he is charged with murder after his wife and her lover are found dead from a violent shooting in their Malibu love nest. Haller not only has to find a way to acquit his client but fend off the media tsunami.

Haller has the backing of his dedicated crew but also the unexpected aid of Detective Harry Bosch, an LAPD murder inspector with his own agenda. Together, they peal back the layers of deception and dig for the truth.

I highly recommend The Brass Verdict!

Life in Mexico

November traditionally marks the beginning of the ‘social season’ in Manzanillo, when snowbirds flee Canada and the US for the warmer climes of southern Mexico. Not only does the season kick off with festivities surrounding the Day of the Dead, but it is also the start of winter weather, where daily rainstorms and the threat of hurricanes during the summer months give way to endless sun, low humidity and refreshing breezes right through to June.

Tradition, however, has been thrown out the window by COVID. Authorities closed graveyards to prevent families from honoring their loved ones on Day of the Dead. While the beaches and restaurants remain open, anyone entering a mall or major store has their temperature checked, and, if it’s too high, refused entry.

Some citizens of Manzanillo wear masks in public, but most do not. Although not everyone is so inclined, there is a fatalistic attitude among the population regarding COVID. When you consider that Dengue and other potentially fatal diseases have been endemic throughout the region for decades without significant medical intervention by the authorities, COVID is just one more plague to be stoically endured; you either catch it and survive, or you die.

Expats tend to take a different approach, seeking ways to avoid contracting the disease. Many have decided to pass on journeying to Mexico this year, preferring to take their chances at home. Linda and I have remained in Mexico for the duration, opting to self-isolate and social distance while enjoying the warm weather.

Hopefully, vaccines and other medical advances will eventually reduce the threat of COVID and allow people to confidently travel safely throughout North America and the world. We can only trust that day arrives soon.

Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti

This is a great recipe for using left-over turkey from Thanksgiving (or you can buy frozen minced turkey). Either way, it’s easy to make, delicious and filling!

Meatball Ingredients (feeds four)

1 lb of leftover turkey, minced fine in the blender.

or 1 roll of frozen minced turkey.

1 egg

½ cup of panko or bread crumbs

1 tsp of salt

½ cup of grated parmesan

1 Tsp of Italian seasoning spices.

2 garlic cloves, minced.

1 cup of firm cheese (Cheddar, Monterey jack, Gouda), cut into cubes.

2 Tsp of olive oil

Sauce ingredients

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

1 Tsp of Italian spice

¼ white onion, chopped

4 mushrooms, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced.

2 Tsp of olive oil.

1 lb of spaghetti

Grated Parmesan and fresh basil (optional).

Directions

Mix the turkey, egg, panko, salt, pepper, spices and Parmesan in a bowl. By hand, form the mix into balls slightly larger than a golf ball (you should have around 12). Push a piece of cheese into the center of each meat ball.

Gently fry the meatballs in olive oil for a few minutes, until the outside is brown. Place in an oven pan.

Fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms in oil. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and spices and cook for a few minutes longer. Pour over the meat balls.

Heat the oven to 400 F. Place the pan into the oven and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, boil the spaghetti and drain. Serve the spaghetti with the meatball mix on top, and garnish with Parmesan and basil.

Dead Man Cipher
Launch Date: November 1, 2020

Order Here

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek – or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Free eBook!

Secret Combinations

Download here!

Read the first in the FBI Agent Jack Kenyon series for free!

When Jack’s aunt mysteriously dies in a car accident outside of London, Jack soon finds himself on the trail to stop a sinister plan to ruin the world wide web!

Book Review

Beartown

By Fredrick Backman

You may be familiar with Fredrick Backman as the author of A Man Called Ove, a tremendous hit when it was first released in 2012. He has a handful of successful novels, most set in his native Sweden.

Beartown is no exception. Situated in the backwoods village of the same name, the citizens of Beartown are berated by their big city cousins as ignorant hicks and hillbillies. But they all have one thing in common; a passionate love of hockey.

For several years now, Peter Andersson, a former NHL player, has been shepherding a group of local youngsters toward the national junior championships. Now, their moment is at hand when they fight their way to the final game. The entire town is behind them, bursting with pride that their woebegone town is finally going to be feted throughout the country.

But, before the big game, tragedy strikes. The star player is accused of raping Peter’s 15-year old daughter. The town is riven into two factions – those who believe the girl, and those who believe the boy. There is no middle ground; each individual must painfully search to discover the truth within their own hearts.

I highly recommend this moving and thought-provoking book!

Restaurant Review; Oveja

Located a few doors from Juanito’s in Santiago, Oveja (The sheep) opened up in October. During weekdays, the restaurant offers al fresco dining as well as takeaway for a range of stews, tacos and traditional dishes.

The real treat is the roasted borrega, however. On Saturdays and Sundays, owner Emilio slaughters a sheep on his ranch and then roasts it in a pit of coals covered with agave leaves for 7 hours. When the cooking is done, the meat is so tender it is literally falling off the bone!

For 250 pesos, Linda and I ordered a half kilo of meat for takeaway. This included a dozen corn tortillas hand-made in the kitchen by Grandma, fresh onion and cilantro garnish, and a lovely spicy salsa made from green tomatoes, avocado and onions.

We had a delicious meal of tacos (you can also order broth and make stew), and there was plenty of meat left over to make lamb curry later in the week! I highly recommend Oveja!

TV Series Review

The Crown

Streaming on Netflix

Season 4 of The Crown dropped in November, and it’s been an entertaining addition to the franchise. To those living in a cave, The Crown focuses on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, from her earliest childhood moments (when her father becomes king when Edward abdicates the throne), to the present day.

Season 4 covers the years when Prince Charles (played by Josh O’Connor) is urged to find a wife, and he picks young Diana Spencer. Their fairy-tale life is jeopardized by the presence of Camilla Parker-Bowles, Charles’ married mistress. As Diana struggles to raise two boys and perform her royal duties, her inner world crumbles as she vainly seeks the love of her emotionally immature husband.

The series is deftly written by Peter Morgan, who was also the writer of The Queen (which had 6 Oscar nominations and one win in 2006). The Crown features a superb cast, with Olivia Colman (Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite, 2019) as Queen Elizabeth, Gillian Anderson (X Files), as Margaret Thatcher, Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.

Season 4 is my favorite, so far. There’s lots of action and turmoil, including the Falklands War, the murder of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA, and Charles’ growing determination to separate from Diana as their marriage unravels. I can’t wait for Season 5!

I highly recommend The Crown!

Life in Mexico

Mexico is the most overweight country in the world, with an estimated 40% of the adult population officially obese. Not only are adults hefty; one-in-six pre-school children are so stocky that it impedes their stride.

Although the average Mexican is far more active than North Americans, (walking, for instance, instead of riding in a car), the traditional Mexican diet of beans, corn tortillas and vegetables has been undercut by ‘food colonialism’ a fancy term for imported foods.

Unfortunately, the main imported victuals are deep-fried foods and sugary drinks. Massive advertising campaigns push cheap burgers, chips and soda pop on the population. It’s a common sight to see carpenters and bricklayers heading to work with a two-liter bottle of Coke tucked under one arm – their ‘gasolina’ for the day. One in four children have sugary drinks at breakfast.

Efforts are underway to educate the public. The Ministry of Health recently obliged manufacturers to prominently display warnings alerting consumers to the presence of excess salt, sugar and saturated fats. 

Unfortunately, much more will have to be done. Diabetes is rife throughout the country, with as many as 14 million adults suffering from the obesity-related disease. It took many decades of education for North Americans to understand the ramifications of a poor diet; Mexico, driven by the connection between COVID, obesity and diabetes, is just beginning that long journey.

Dead Man Cipher
Launch Date: November 1, 2020
Pre-order Here!

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek – or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Movie Review – an oldie but goodie!

The Rainmaker

John Grisham’s courtroom drama was originally published in 1995, and was quickly optioned by the legendary director Francis Ford Coppola.

The story revolves around Rudy Baylor (played by Matt Damon), a young lawyer recently graduated from Memphis State. Times are tough, and the only job he can land is with a law firm run by a colorful reprobate by the name of Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke). He soon teams up with Stone’s paralegal, Deck Shifflet (Danny de Vito), and the pair set off to chase ambulances.

By chance, Rudy signs up a client by the name of Ronny Ray Black, a victim of leukemia whose insurance company, Great Benefit Life, refused a bone-marrow transplant. Ronny Ray is too far gone now to receive any benefit from the procedure, but his family has vowed to seek vengeance by filing a lawsuit.

Grisham is in fine form when it comes to courtroom drama, but he also livens up the story with a wonderful selection of sub-plots, including Rudy’s boss going on the lam after the FBI charges him with skimming profits from his topless bars and a hopeless romance with a young woman who is abused by her alcoholic husband.

I don’t think I’m spoiling the plot by noting that the good guys eventually win and the bad guys lose, but it’s a wonderful, engaging movie that will effectively transport the viewer far away from their isolation blues.

I highly recommend The Rainmaker!

Gord’s delicious (and nutritious) breakfast egg sandwich

As a kid, I loved to go to the Big Arches and order a breakfast sandwich. The fried egg with a slice of bacon on a toasted bun was scrumptious!

Unfortunately, it was also full of sugar, saturated fats and who-knows-what else. As I got older and wiser, I eschewed its sultry siren call for more wholesome alternatives.

I never forgot that taste, however. Over the years, I devised my own breakfast sandwich that was far less harmful to my health, but just as tasty. This recipe is easy to make and a big hit with everyone –  enjoy!

Ingredients (feeds two).

4 eggs

2 Tsp of milk

¼ white onion, chopped

1 Tsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste.

2 whole grain buns, cut in half.

1 tsp mayonnaise

2 slices of tomato.

Directions

Beat the eggs and milk together and set aside.

Fry the white onion lightly in olive oil in a pan. Add the egg/milk mixture and cook on low until it sets as an omelette. Divide into two portions and season with salt and pepper.

Place the buns in the pan and toast each side for 15 seconds. Lightly spread mayonnaise on the buns and add the omelette and tomato.

TV Series Review

Sherlock

Streaming on Netflix

There has been a renaissance in all things Sherlock Holmes, from Anthony Horowitz’s The House of Silk (the first mystery novel authorized by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate in over a century), to the engaging Enola Holmes, a movie regaling the adventures of the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft.

My favorite TV series is Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), as Sherlock, and Martin Freeman (Love, Actually), as Dr. Watson. The series, which began in 2010, is set in contemporary London, but Sherlock’s powers of deduction are still as sharp and acerbic as ever.

Unlike traditional TV series, Sherlock released a small handful of ninety-minute episodes each season, for a total of 14 installments spread over seven years. The long-format gives each episode the feel of a feature film, while maintaining the continuity of a series (with each season pursuing a common theme and supporting cast of evil doers, including Sherlock’s arch enemy Moriarty).

Many UK crime series (like Prime Suspect and The River), revel in the deep psychological torment of their protagonists as much as the nefarious crimes that they seek to solve. Sherlock, of course, is well known for his demons (drugs, depression), but Cumberbatch portrays the world’s arch detective with grace, compassion and wit.

I highly recommend Sherlock!

I couldn’t resist…

(Hint – check behind the drapes)

Life in Mexico

Linda and I have been here in Manzanillo since the COVID pandemic began. A lot of our friends in Canada and the US would like to return to Manzanillo this winter, and they have been asking if it is safe. I am not a doctor and I cannot give medical advice, but here’s what we’ve learned.

You are not safe anywhere from COVID, either Mexico, Europe or North America. That said, most infections occur indoors, so you can spend a lot less time indoors this winter if you are in Mexico.

Probably the biggest risk you face when returning to Mexico is traveling on an airline, bus or train, as you are in close proximity to strangers. If you take proper precautions (PPEs, hand sanitation, social distancing, etc.), you can minimize exposure. Friends who have traveled by plane to NA and back the last six months on the major airlines serving Mexico have not become ill.

Once you are in Mexico, you can follow simple procedures to reduce risk. Most domestic staff travel by bus, and few people wear protection. We dismissed our house maid and do all house cleaning ourselves (the gardener cleans outdoors).

Few people wear masks at the Mercado and Saturday market, so we avoid them. La Comer, Sam’s and other major retailers follow strict guidelines in which everyone must wear a mask and have their temperature checked to gain entry. We prepare a grocery list and shop once a week (at an early hour, when it is least crowded).

Most restaurants are open, but adherence to precautions can vary widely. Oasis has a high standard of protection. We go during weekdays when it is not busy. You can also order take-out/delivery from your favorite restaurant.

If you feel you might have COVID, it is not easy to get a test in Mexico. Regardless, Doctor Tom treats patients in-home with medications that reduce symptoms and, if need be, can supply patients with oxygen. The key to recovery is early intervention, before symptoms become severe.

In conclusion, if you do not have high-risk factors (diabetes, COPD, etc.), it is my belief that returning to Mexico for the winter season is not likely to increase your risk, especially if you avoid large indoor gatherings and practice social distancing (we have the occasional lunch where we invite a small number of friends and dine outdoors).

Obviously, each individual is unique and has special considerations. If you have any questions, I am more than happy to respond. We look forward to seeing many of our friends return in the coming months!

Steak with creamy mushroom sauce

It’s not too late to BBQ, and this is an excellent harvest dinner! Easy to make and absolutely delicious, this recipe is perfect with steamed fresh beans and a baked potato.

Ingredients

8-ounce beef fillet

8 mushrooms, sliced

1 Tsp butter

1 Cup of cream

1 Tsp of cognac (or brandy).

1 t of salt

Pepper to taste

Directions

Allow the steak to warm to room temperature then grill over medium heat for 3 minutes per side (add another minute or two per side for medium rare). Tent and set aside for ten minutes.

Fry the mushrooms in butter until brown. Mix in the cream, cognac and salt. Turn the heat down to simmer.

Cut the steak into ½ inch slices, add a touch of pepper, and lay out on plates. Serve with the mushroom sauce, beans and baked potato.

Dead Man Cipher

Launch Date: November 1, 2020

Pre-order Here!

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek, or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Movie Review

Jersey Boys

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Linda and I originally saw the Tony-award-winning Jersey Boys jukebox musical in the West End of London and were blown away by the songs and the staging. It tells the story of four down-and-out kids from New Jersey – Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio – who pull their lives out of the gutter and make a name for themselves as The Four Seasons.

The force behind their success was, of course, the amazing voice of Frankie Valli, who could sing magnificently over several octaves. Less well known is the contribution of Bob Gaudio, who wrote many of the hit songs, such as Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Rag Doll.

The story is told from each member’s point-of-view as they travel and perform over the course of a decade, going from rags to riches and back to rags. The narrative, often told directly to the audience, is often contradictory, but always engrossing.

The band is featured performing over a dozen of their billboard-topping hits; director Clint Eastwood cast relatively unknown stage actors, who performed the songs live. (If you watch closely, you’ll see Eastwood do a cameo when Frankie’s kids are watching the western TV show Rawhide from the 1950s on TV).

This is a great feel-good musical that is well acted, directed and filmed. I highly recommend Jersey Boys!

Book Review

Dark Matter

By Blake Crouch

As a teenager, I loved to read science fiction – Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein – but, like many things, my tastes evolved in adulthood.

It was thus refreshing to return to this wonderful genre when I downloaded Dark Matter. The tale is set in modern day Chicago, where an aspiring physicist named Jason is married to his college sweetheart and raising a teenage son.

But Jason becomes obsessed with ‘what if’. What if he hadn’t abandoned his ground-breaking work into quantum mechanics in order to raise a family? What if he had focused his sole intention on building a machine that allowed a human to travel to parallel universes?

As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for’. Jason is kidnapped by that very version of himself and switcherooed so that he can, indeed, have his cake and eat it too. The trouble is that Jason the family-man quickly realizes that the life of Jason the Nobel-prize winner is devoid of love. He misses his wife and child and vows to return and set things right.

This leads to a universe-hopping adventure where the original Jason is pursued by a host of doppelgangers who are murderously intent on replacing him as well. Jason has to scramble to avoid death and dismemberment, only they know exactly how he thinks and reacts, so they’re always one step ahead.

The author uses the multiple-universe sci-fi trope to excellent effect in order to create a gripping thriller. I highly recommend Dark Matter!

Life in Mexico

Last week, Hurricane Hernan was passing by Manzanillo, about 200 miles out in the Pacific. The worst we seemed to be receiving was a steady rain.

That all changed on the morning of Thursday, August 27. We noticed a wave of brown muck slowly creeping up our street. It lapped over the curb and began to crawl up our driveway.

Our rental home is situated about 200 metres from the beach. I had always assumed that if we had water rushing up our street, it would be from a tsunami caused by an earthquake just offshore.

I was wrong. Rain from the hurricane had collected in the adjacent mountains and came pouring down toward the sea. The drainage ditches dug to divert the water soon overflowed, and a wave of crap came rolling toward our house.

We barricaded the door but it came through every crack and crevice, quickly filling the main floor with over a foot of brown goop. Neighbours who tried to flee stalled their cars in the deep water in the road.

We scrambled to clear out shoes from our closets and food from the lower pantry shelves. It short-circuited our fridge and filled the bottom half with sludge. Flip-flops, pasta and bloated paperbacks floated around the pool patio.

We were lucky that our home had an upper floor to which we could retreat. The power went out, and we spent a hot, sweaty night wondering what the morning light would bring. Fortunately, the rain stopped and the water receded, and we were able to clean up some of the mess.

We were able to move to a nearby undamaged house while our home is being cleaned and restored. The memory of the event will stay with me for as long as I live, however. I had seen scenes of hurricane flooding dozens of times, the homes encircled by brown water in which cars floated upside down, but I had never thought I would experience firsthand the devastation that a flood can cause.

Fortunately, we were not harmed. My heart goes out to all those who suffer far greater than we did.

Recipe

Lime Coriander Shrimp and Asian Cucumber Salad

This is a great summer BBQ treat, easy to make and delicious! You can scale it up or down, depending on the number of guests, and it only takes two minutes to cook! Serve with coconut rice and fresh limes.

Lime Coriander Shrimp Ingredients (serves four)

1 pound large (21 to 24 per pound) shrimp, shelled, leaving tail and first shell section intact, and if desired, deveined.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 T sugar

3 large garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup of coconut milk

1/2 cup fresh coriander sprigs, washed well, spun dry, and chopped fine

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

1 T fish sauce

Coconut rice

Lime wedges

Lime Coriander Shrimp Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and allow to marinate for one hour. Place shrimp on skewers (I normally put six on each skewer), and cook for two minutes per side at medium heat.

Asian Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

One large cucumber, cut into thin slices.

One small chili pepper, finely chopped.

1 tsp of brown sugar

¼ cup of rice vinegar (or white vinegar)

2 tablespoons of chopped coriander

1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

Directions

Mix the ingredients together and chill. Serve as a side dish to the Lime Coriander Shrimp.

Book Review

How to Find Love in a Bookshop

By Veronica Henry

This, not surprisingly, is a novel about love and books, set in the idyllic English town of Peasebrook.

Amid the honey-colored sandstone buildings of this fictional Cotswold village, Julius Nightingale owned and operated Nightingale Books, nurturing customers and neighbours for over 30 years.

Now, with his death, the torch is being passed to his daughter Emilia. Returning from an extended absence, the young woman soon learns that her father was a pinnacle of culture and light to Peasebrook, beloved by all.

And beloved more by some than others, it would seem. As Emilia searches for a meaningful relationship of her own, she becomes aware of an adulterous affair that her father had conducted for many years in secret.

Add in a nefarious real estate baron intent on buying the bookshop building, impending financial disaster and some hunky, lusty lads, and you have the classic summer romance read, with lots of love, laughter, heartbreak and surprises.

I highly recommend How to Find Love in a Bookshop!

Coming November 1st

New Jack Kenyon Mystery/Thriller!

“COPE HAS DONE IT AGAIN – DEAD MAN CIPHER IS A REAL PAGE-TURNER!” MC Anderson, founder of the San Miguel de Allende book club  

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek, or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Pre-order Here Now!

TV Series Review

Boston Legal

Streaming free on IMDB TV

Guilty pleasure time! Created by the talented David E. Kelley (Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal), this courtroom comedy ran for five seasons, from 2004 to 2008. It centered around the antics of the lawyers at Crane, Poole and Schmidt, including Alan Shore (James Spader), Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen).

The charm of the series emanates from the friendship between Alan and Denny, a pair of lecherous litigators who chase everything in skirts. The duo finish off every episode sharing a cigar on the balcony of their Boston office, reminiscing about the day’s shenanigans.

Although the series finished more than a decade ago, the topics they covered are just as relevant today. Police brutality against blacks, federal government interference and LGBTQ rights (with a little cannibalism, dwarves and elevator sex thrown in to spice things up even more).

The series is well written, acted, and edited, making it a joy to binge watch. I highly recommend Boston Legal!

Life in Mexico

The good news: Mexico’s beaches have re-opened!

The bad news? The COVID pandemic continues to grow in Mexico, but nobody really knows the extent. Official numbers show almost 400,000 confirmed cases and 43,500 deaths, but government figures aren’t widely trusted, and independent estimates place the numbers much higher.

Regardless, a casual observer wouldn’t think anything was amiss in Manzanillo. The weekend markets are crowded, but few seem to be wearing masks or practicing safe distancing. Larger stores and malls have security guards checking temperatures and ensuring everyone wears a mask, but they’re in the minority.

Although the government is promoting the tourism sector with renewed flights and open resorts, travelers are being cautious; the traditional ‘social’ season’ that runs from November to March when snowbirds flock south is in jeopardy. Our friends in Canada ponder the wisdom of going from a country that has the pandemic largely under control to a jurisdiction that now has the fifth-worst outbreak in the world. Likewise, pals in the US are reluctant to spend months in a community that is in danger of seeing its healthcare system swamped.

Like the US, there is very little guidance from Mexico’s president and senior cabinet ministers. Hopefully, common sense among ordinary Mexicans will prevail, and individuals will take the necessary precautions to reverse the upward spiral of infections and help get everything back to normal.

Summer Burger Recipe

What’s more delicious in the summer than a burger on your BBQ? These home-made beauties are guaranteed to delight family and friends! Easy to make ahead of time and quick to pull together during a suitable outdoor event.

Ingredients

1 lb of ground sirloin

1 lb of ground pork loin

½ cup of breadcrumbs (I use Panko)

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of ground pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 egg

Bimbo buns

1 Tsp of butter

Sliced cheese (Gouda and Havarti are just as good as Cheddar)

Sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles, etc., for garnish.

Directions

Put the ground sirloin, pork and egg into a bowl and mix together.

In a blender, mix breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and garlic.

Slowly add the breadcrumb mix to the meat, stirring to avoid clumps. Leave in the fridge for one hour.

Depending on how large you like your burgers, divide the meat into either six or eight balls. I use a patty maker (you can find an excellent Weber patty maker in the BBQ section of your grocery store), or you can simply shape them by hand.

Heat the BBQ to medium. Grill each burger 4 minutes per side. Add the cheese slices, if so desired, at the final minute.

While the burgers are grilling, cut the buns in half and butter each side.

Once the burgers are done, place them on a plate to rest. Put the buns into the BBQ, grilling for 15 seconds per side then place in a serving basket.

Serve at a buffet table with the condiments and toppings, allowing everyone to customize their burger.

Goes great with margaritas and cold beer!

Dead Man Cipher Draw has a Winner!

Thanks to everyone who voted for the cover for the latest book in my FBI Agent Jack Kenyon mystery series. Cover #3 (which is a time-lapse photo of the Golden Gate Bridge taken at night), was quickly eliminated. Covers #1 were #2 were neck-and-neck, a virtual tie. We finally called upon the adjudication committee to pick a winner, and cover #2 is the victor!

The winner of the draw for a first edition paperback of Dead Man Cipher was chosen at random from every newsletter subscriber who voted. Congratulations to Stuart Curran!

Book Review

28 Summers

By Elin Hilderbrand

The author has been writing for several decades about the foibles of the imaginary residents of Nantucket, Massachusetts, an idyllic, secluded island off Cape Cod that is the summer playground for the rich and famous and a sheltered community in the wintertime for the permanent residents who call it home.

Her latest novel, 28 Summers, has a delicious twist. Mallory Blessing is adrift in New York, searching for meaningful existence when she inherits a cottage in Nantucket from her Aunt Gerta. It is a modest home with a great need for some TLC, but to Mallory, it becomes an anchor to her new life.

But not romance. That comes out of the blue when she finally meets Jake, her older brother’s college roommate, and the sparks fly! The only problem; Jake is already committed to his childhood sweetheart Ursula.

What follows is a classic plot device taken from Same Time Next Year, the romantic romp starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. Mallory and Jake agree to secretly meet every Labor Day weekend for a secret ‘same time next year’ rendezvous.

What they didn’t expect is that the torrid tryst would go on so long! Through marriage and children, they persevere for almost three decades, until fate finally catches up.

Elin Hilderbrand is known as the ‘Queen of Summer Reads’, which makes light of the craftsmanship and imagination that she invests in her work. Before she even begins to write, she develops a short summary for each main character, a biography that covers important details of their lives, including ‘what makes them tick’. In doing so, she brings a depth and familiarity to the narrative that unfolds organically scene-by-scene as the individuals interact and mature.

I highly recommend you try 28 Summers. You won’t be disappointed!

TV Review

Ozark

Streaming on Netflix

A hapless accountant in Chicago is caught up in a scheme to launder money when a vengeful narco boss shoots his partner and threatens to kill his family if he doesn’t launder $500 million in five years.

Marty Byrde (played by Jason Batemen), uproots his family and flees to a holiday lake region in the Ozarks, where he and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney), buy a house and set out to meet the locals.

Some of their neighbours include the Langmores, a wild hillbilly clan intent on nefarious deeds. The leader of the clan is Ruth, a young woman with big plans. She allies with Marty in order to further he own family’s goals and to learn some modern forms of chicanery.

All of this, of course, attracts the attention of the FBI, who are in hot pursuit of the narco boss and his ill-gotten gains.

The series, now in its third season, has plans for a fourth and final run in 2021. Be sure to catch up to the action now, however, so that you can enjoy the finale!

Sunrise over Manzanillo. Credit; Fred Taylor.

Greetings from Manzanillo!

Life in Mexico

Lockdown

Life is a paradox in Mexico right now. As the infection and death tolls continue to climb (primarily in Mexico City and surrounding communities), the president repeatedly insists that the COVID crisis is receding and that everything should return to normal.

Linda and I have been in self-isolation for the last two months, which sounds a lot worse than it is. There are no quarantine restrictions or road blocks within the city and you are welcome to come and go as you please. The beaches have been closed since Easter but there are rumors that they may soon open up again. I’ve been spending more time tending to the garden in our home; our jasmine plant just burst into season with dozens of tiny flowers that smell like a cross between rose and lavender.

Even if the president isn’t taking the crisis seriously, most major businesses are implementing social distancing precautions. Once a week, we go to La Comer to purchase groceries. We go in the morning, when it is least busy. All of the entrance doors to the mall have been closed except for one, where guards refuse entry to anyone not wearing a mask.

Inside La Comer, butchers, bakers, shelf stockers and tellers all wear masks. A clerk wipes down the handle on every cart. At the check-out, shoppers line up on floor markers fixed six-feet apart.

Contrast this to the market in Santiago, where on a recent Saturday a dozen shoppers were lined up in front of the meat shop. No one was wearing a mask, and all were completely oblivious to social distancing.

We’ve been fortunate so far in Manzanillo, with under a dozen deaths recorded. While the numbers are definitely being under-reported, hospitals (and morgues) are apparently not being over-whelmed. We are hoping that when the crisis peaks this summer, it spares those who are at high risk in our community.

Recipe; Thai Beef & Beans

Many years ago, Greg, my mate in Australia, showed me how to concoct this incredible dish. It is easy to make and tastes incredibly delicious – it’s always the high-light of our day. If you don’t have Jasmine rice, Basmati or any other white rice will do just as well.

Ingredients

1 lb of ground sirloin (you can also use thinly sliced steak)

2 Tsp of sesame (or any) oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp of red curry paste

¼ cup of brown sugar

¼ cup of shrimp sauce

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of ground black peppre

¼ cup of soy sauce

½ cup of water

½ cup of green beans, cut into 1-in pieces (asparagus also works very well)

½ cup of red pepper, diced

1 cup of Jasmine rice, cooked.

Garnish (mint, chopped green onion, basil leaves).

Lime slices.

Directions

Using a pan with a lid (or Dutch oven) fry the sirloin, garlic, red curry paste, black pepper, turmeric and sugar in oil.

Add shrimp sauce, soy sauce and half the water. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Turn up the heat and add the green beans and red pepper. Cover and let it steam for three minutes. If you wish to have a bit of gravy, add the rest of the water.

Serve on Jasmine rice with garnish and lime slices.

Check out Magnus the Magnificent

Book Review

The Last Trial, by Scott Turow

Scott Turow has made a brilliant career writing about the legal profession in fictional Kindle County. Beginning in the 1980s, he has focused on criminal defence lawyers and the shenanigans surrounding high profile trials, following a cast of characters through several decades.

The Last Trial is Turow’s latest novel, and takes place in the late 2010s. Sandy Stern, at the end of a distinguished legal career spanning six decades, is looking forward to retirement. He is dragooned into one last case, however, when his friend Kiril Pafko is charged with murder.

The case is unprecedented. Pafko, a Nobel Prize winner in medicine and CEO of a publicly traded research lab, has devised a drug treatment that is surprisingly effective against cancer. During expedited trials, however, several deaths associated with allergic reactions to the treatment were concealed from the FDA. In addition, when a reporter uncovers the deception and reveals the knowledge to Pafko prior to publication, the CEO sells his options knowing that the stock would tank. When the scandal erupts, he is charged by the district attorney with both fraud and murder.

Stern, in his 80s, literally owes his life to Pafko after being successfully treated with the wonder drug when he came down with cancer. Now he must rise to the occasion. With the help of his daughter Marta and granddaughter Pinky, he must build a defence that will convince a jury that there is reasonable doubt to the charges.

As in all of Turow’s books, there are no outright villains or heroes; all of his vividly-portrayed characters exhibit both nobility and malevolence. That’s what makes reading his work so enthralling – you never know until the very end which personality trait will triumph.

And The Last Trial is no exception. I highly recommend this book.

Movie Review

My Fair Lady

Based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady was turned into a musical in the 1950s, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe.

The story focuses on the often-adversarial relationship between Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, and Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician who vows to give her speech lessons to the point where she can pass as a lady in high society.

The musical, starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews played to great success on Broadway and London’s West End. It was adapted to the screen in 1964, starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, and directed by George Cukor. It won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

But the real star of the show is the music. Virtually every one of the dozen show-cased songs is a classic, with I Could Have Danced All Night, The Rain in Spain, With a Little Bit of Luck and Get Me to the Church on Time leading the way. Various remakes have been proposed over the intervening 56 years, but the original still stands as one of the best musicals of all time.

“Few genres of films are as magical as musicals, and few musicals are as intelligent and lively as My Fair Lady,” notes American film critic James Berardinelli. “It’s a classic not because a group of stuffy film experts have labeled it as such, but because it has been, and always will be, a pure joy to experience.”

Life in Mexico

Easter is the most popular vacation time in Mexico, with families packing up the car and heading for ocean resorts in the weeks before and after Good Friday. Typically, Manzanillo’s population swells by 50,000, clogging the streets, restaurants and beaches.

But this year was different. While the federal government dithered and cases of COVID began to soar in Mexico City and Guadalajara, local authorities took action. Colima Governor Jose Ignacio Peralta (Nacho), established state police barriers on the major highways leading from Guadalajara; travelers without business or residential status were turned back.

State officials also urged the closure of all non-essential services, including restaurants, bars, hotels and shopping malls. Even if a holiday-maker were able to sneak through, there were few distractions to keep them in the city.

The result was dramatic. Miramar Beach, which would normally have 20,000 people or more during a holiday weekend, was entirely deserted. Armed marines patrolled the sand every day from morning to dusk, ensuring compliance. Full-time residents were asked to self-isolate and to journey out only for groceries and medical services, until April 30.

So far, Colima has had the lowest number of reported COVID cases in Mexico, which makes everyone breathe (literally), a bit better. The government may extend the shut-down further into May, but for now, the worst seems to have been avoided.

Favorite Recipe; Steak L’entrecote

We first discovered this amazing recipe when we were living in Paris. Relais de L’entrecote is a specialty restaurant in the trendy St. Germain de Pres district of the Left Bank. They have nothing but steak & frites on the menu, but the silky sauce that they serve over the steak is to die for!

Ingredients

6 chicken livers, chopped,

1 large shallot, chopped

1 sprig of fresh thyme, tarragon and parsley

1 1/4 cup of liquid cream

2 Tsp of Dijon mustard

¼ cup of butter

½ cup of water

½ tsp of salt.

1 Ribeye Steak.

Directions

1 Slowly sauté the shallot and liver in half the butter until lightly browned. Add thyme, salt, tarragon and parsley.

2 In a separate pan, mix mustard and cream and reduce over low heat. Add the rest of the butter.

3 Mix all ingredients together and let rest for five minutes.

4 Sieve out the sauce. Adjust the thickness with the water to achieve a silky texture. Heat on low when ready to serve.

5 BBQ the steak for two-three minutes per side on high heat. Let rest for ten minutes, then carve into 1-cm strips. Pour the sauce over the strips and serve.

Latest Jack Kenyon Mystery

Order your copy of Runaway Bomb here!

Happy April!

Check out Friends April 2020 Newsletter

Book Review

American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins

This is a complex book to read, simultaneously filled with love, joy and terror.

The novel starts in present-day Acapulco, where a drug cartel orders the murder of the family of journalist Sebastian, who has published an expose of their leader Javier. They ruthlessly gun down 16 men, women and children during a family birthday party.

Only Sebastian’s wife and young son survive. Lydia and Luca are forced to flee the wrath of the jefe, whose reach spans all of Mexico.

In order to escape, they join the migrant wave heading from Central America to the US, el norte. They ride the rails and seek comfort in the refuge stops that are stationed by good Samaritans along the way. They are also brutalized by criminals and rogue police.

The author, who has written extensively about victims of justice in several novels and memoirs, brings to life the motivations of the main characters, starkly illustrating the realities of their lives in war and crime-torn countries.

It is also a fast-paced thriller, pulling the reader along a roller-coaster ride as Lydia and Luca and the friends they meet on their journey scramble for safety.

This is a tough read, but one that will ultimately change your perceptions of the complex issues that surround the mass refugee migrations that are happening around the world today.

TV Review

Mad Men, streaming on Netflix

OK. Now you know what I’ve been really been doing in self-isolation.

Mad Men is one of my all-time favorite TV series, about a Madison Avenue advertising firm, featuring Jon Hamm as creative director Don Draper, January Jones as his long-suffering wife Betty, and Elisabeth Moss as the intrepid copywriter Peggy Olson.

The series takes place largely in the late 1950s and 1960s, during the golden age of TV, the Beatles, civil unrest and opposition to the Vietnam War. The cast of characters at fictional ad agency Sterling Cooper each try to out-do each other in drinking, cheating and generally self-destructing.

The mood of each episode (there are 96 in total), veers from interpersonal drama to slapstick comedy and back again, taking the viewer on a manic, addictive journey.

Over the course of seven seasons, we watch each character mature (or not). One of my favorites is Sally Draper, Don and Betty’s young daughter, who learns as an 8-year old how to mix Tom Collins and fetch cigarettes, eventually growing up into a rebellious teenager.

I know it’s a lot of TV, but as far as pop-culture pleasures are concerned, nothing beats Mad Men.

Pets and COVID-19

Can you transmit COVID-19 to your pet? Or, just as importantly, can they give it to you?

The answers are…no one knows.

There have been reported cases of dogs and cats testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), even a tiger in the Bronx Zoo, but there hasn’t been any follow-up as to how they caught it.

There have been no reports of pets getting seriously sick or dying in China, Italy or Spain, so the anecdotal evidence would indicate that pets are not significant vectors (or victims) for the disease.

Still, virus researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Massachusetts have launched a study in which pet owners and farm workers who are being treated can also have their animals tested in order to better study if transference is taking place.

In the meantime, if you have tested positive for the disease or are showing symptoms, take a common sense approach;

• Just like other members of your family, do not touch or kiss your pet.
• Have an un-infected family member feed and tend to your pet, if possible.
• Do not share food, drinks, glasses, cups, towels, or bedding with your pet.
• If your pet is experiencing respiratory stress, contact a veterinarian by phone (Do not go to a clinic).
• Keep cats indoors as much as possible.
• When an un-infected family member is walking your dog, keep it on a leash and avoid dog parks.