All posts by : Gordon Cope

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.

LIFE IN MEXICO

UNWANTED GUEST COMES FOR A HOLIDAY

A bustling Manzanillo beach

Although Mexico has has not suffered as badly as other jurisdictions, restrictions to control COVID-19 are now falling into place

Our home state of Colima, for instance, has recommended that citizens avoid all unnecessary movement and stay at home. Trips for food, medicine and aid to others are allowed, but gyms, bars and theatres are either closed or discouraged destinations.

So far, people have been fairly obedient.  Normally, Mir-a-mar beach is filled with hundreds of swimmers and sun-bathers enjoying the sunny, warm weather. As you can see in the photo taken by Fred Taylor on March 21, however, the beach is largely deserted. As my father used to say, you could fire a bazooka and not hit anyone!

Most Canadian and US residents have returned home, but, obviously, Mexican beach-lovers remain. The test will come in a few weeks with the start of Easter weekend. This is the most popular holiday of the year, with families from Mexico City and Guadalajara flocking down to party.

I have heard that authorities are restricting movement along major highways into Manzanillo to residents and workers only. This should dissuade tourists, but if the situation gets too crowded, the police may have to close the beaches to everyone.

Only time will tell. In the meantime, stay safe!

FAVORITE RECIPE

LAMB SHANKS

Melt in your Mouth

This is the perfect recipe for a Sunday supper! You can find the shanks in the frozen meat section of most grocery stores year round, or pick some up from your local butcher in season. It is literally a one-pot meal that’s easy to make and very delicious!

INGREDIENTS

2 lamb shanks, scored

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup of flour

1 Tsp of chili powder

4 shallots, whole, peeled

4 garlic cloves, whole, peeled.

1/2 cup wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 t rosemary

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 450 F.

Place an iron casserole pot on the stove and turn to medium. Brown the shallots and garlic in the oil.

Dust the shanks in a mix of flour and chili powder then brown in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour in wine, broth and rosemary.

Place casserole pot in oven uncovered for ½ hour.

Cover the pot and turn oven down to 350 F. Let cook for 2 ½ hours.

(Optional: you can add diced carrots and potatoes with one hour left to go.)

Remove pot and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Remove lamb and vegetables to a serving platter, then make gravy using 2 Tsp of reserved flour/chili powder mixed in ½ cup of broth.

Serve with mint sauce or jalapeno jelly.

FREEBIE!

Download A Paris Moment for Free!

RICHEST DOGS & CATS

This is an excerpt from the newsletter I write each month in support of Friends of Mexico Animal Welfare. Check Friends out at https://www.fomaw.org

Grumpy Cat Ready for the Cameras

Pets can’t inherit or own property or money directly, but they can benefit from a loving former parent through a trust. They can also earn funds on behalf of their owners through acting and internet promotions.

Here’s a list of some of the world’s richest cats and dogs.

Gunther IV.

When Countess Karlotta Libenstein of Germany died in 1992, she left over $100 million to her German Shepherd, Gunther III. Her trustees eventually more than tripled the money, and when Gunther IV was born, he became the world’s richest dog, with an estimated $375 million in biscuits.

Grumpy Cat (officially Tardar Sauce)

Grumpy cat is considered to be the world’s richest cat, earning its owner, Tabatha Bundesen, an estimated $100 million through endorsements and promotions (a figure which Bundesen denies). The tiny feline burst to fame in 2012, when a photo of her famously unfriendly features went viral on social media. Grumpy passed away in 2019 at the age of seven, but she lives on in countless memes!

Olivia Benson

Olivia is owned by Taylor Swift and was named after the singer’s favorite character on Law and Order: SVU. It is estimated that the white Scottish fold cat has earned over $97 million through social media and ads for Coke and Keds shoes, placing it on par with Grumpy Cat.

Tommaso

Tommaso is a black cat with a lucky streak. After wandering into the home of Italian property magnate Maria Assunta, the four-year old stray soon became the prime object of her affection. When Assunta died in 2011 at the age of 94, Tommaso inherited the equivalent of $13 million. The money is held in trust by Assunta’s nurse, Stefania.

Trouble

When real estate and hotel tycoon Leona Helmsley died in 2007, the ‘Queen of Mean’ left $12 million to her Maltese, Trouble. A year later, a judge deemed the amount exceeded what was necessary to care for the dog, and order the inheritance reduced to $2 million. Trouble died in Florida in 2011.

Conchita.

When socialite Gail Posner passed away in 2010, she left $3 million in trust to her Chihuahua. During her life, Posner treated Conchita to lavish gifts, manicures and lunches at extravagant restaurants. Her son sued the estate, claiming that the trust was foisted on his mother by greedy house servants.

MOVIE REVIEW

Self Made

Starring Octavia Spencer

Produced by Netflix

The four-part mini-series, starring Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer (The Help, 2011), is based upon the life of Madam C.J. Walker, an African-American woman who became the first black, self-made millionaire in America.

Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, she began making her own line of cosmetics and hair care products aimed at black women. She founded the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company (named after her third husband), and her products became a by-word for quality and beauty in the African-American community.

The plot revolves around the feud that is generated between Sarah and her arch-nemesis Addie, a fellow cosmetologist who lays claim to the former’s innovations (and men). In addition, Sarah must fight discrimination against blacks and misogyny toward woman as she muscles her way through the male-dominated business world.

The result is a highly-entertaining soap-opera with a social message that will resonate with its contemporary audience. I highly recommend you watch Self Made.

BOOK REVIEW

A Distant Mirror

By Barbara Tuchman

Tuchman, a Pulitzer-prize winning author, wrote A Distant Mirror over 40 years ago. The historical non-fiction chronicles life in 14^th century Europe, covering a wide range of topics, including the Battle of Poitiers, the 100-Years War between the English and the French, and the Catholic Church split that resulted in a papacy in Avignon.

Scintillating stuff, I know. But her eloquent style of writing and ability to make historical characters leap off the page makes the book a fascinating and informative read. And, at 600 pages of densely packed prose, it makes an excellent diversion when self-isolating!

There is another aspect that makes the book relevant. A great deal of the narrative is dedicated to documenting the Black Death, the bubonic plague that wiped out as much as half of humanity between 1348-1350. The panic and desperation of Europeans during the pandemic reflects the situation in which the world now finds itself in today. After a span of over 600 years, far too much of human folly remains the same.

I highly recommend you read A Distant Mirror.

Life In Mexico

Hummingbird Heaven

Mexico is home to a huge population of hummingbirds. There are approximately 60 different species, and they occupy virtually every ecosystem in the country, from tropical coastline to the slopes of volcanoes.

Hummingbirds are amazing creatures, with heartrates that can exceed 1200 beats per minute and the ability to migrate up to 500 miles in a single day.

A male hummingbird is very aggressive when it comes to protecting its feeding territory, chasing away other birds – even raptors – that invade.

Hummingbirds are not afraid of humans, sipping at feeders inches away from bird fanciers.

Hummingbirds are very intelligent and can remember every flower they have ever visited.

We love to see them dancing from blossom to blossom in our garden, drinking in the nectar from hibiscus, bougainvillea and even the tiny white flowers that grace our fragrant basil!

Favorite Recipe

Singapore Shrimp Noodles

This is a great lunch recipe on a weekend because it makes you get up early and do the Saturday chores knowing you’ll be coming back to this great dish! It only takes a few minutes to prepare, but the flavor is fantastic!

1 (12oz) package of extra thin egg noodles
1lb of cleaned raw shrimp (frozen is fine)
2 Tablespoons of oil.

2 cloves of garlic grated
2 Table spoons of ginger grated
1 medium onion chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 sliced red chili
1 bunch of green onions (use white and green parts)
1 cup of frozen green peas
1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 Table spoon of curry powder
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of fish sauce

Cut limes

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

In a large wok or frying pan, heat 2Tbs of canola oil.  Add chopped onions, green onion whites and pepper.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. 

Add ginger and garlic and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add curry powder and red chili flakes and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add shrimp and frozen peas.  Stir fry until the shrimp start to pink up and become almost cooked through.

Add soy sauce and fish sauce.   Also add some of the scallion greens here.  Leave a few pieces for garnish.

Scoop cooked noodles out of the broth and add to the pan. Toss with all the ingredients for a few minutes. Serve with onion greens and limes.

Special Event

Check out the video for Magnus the Magnificent!

Six Ways Your Dog Shows Love

This is an excerpt from the newsletter I write each month in support of Friends of Mexico Animal Welfare. Check Friends out at https://www.fomaw.org

I love my Mom!

1 Sustained Eye Contact

Just like humans, dogs convey love and affection by sustained eye contact. When your dog looks at you, it releases oxytocin in their brain, the ‘love hormone’.

2 Leaning Against You

When your dog leans against you while you’re relaxing on the couch, it means it feels safe, secure and totally comfortable.

3 Sleeping in Your Bedroom

Even if your dog is not allowed on the bed, it still wants to be close to you because it is totally loyal and doesn’t want to be separated from the pack.

4 It is Happy When You Get Home

If your dog jumps up and down and licks your face, it’s absolutely thrilled to see you!

5 It Carries Your Stinky Shoes Around

Not the best activity if they also tend to chew, but dogs who love their owners’ scents will raid the shoe pile or laundry basket for smelly reminders.

6 It Brings You its Favorite Toy

Not just to play, either. As its leader, it is presenting you its most prized, beloved possession.

Our thanks to blogger Christina Donnelly.

Movie Review

Judy

Starring Renee Zellweger

Renee Zellweger won an Oscar for her performance in Judy, and no small wonder. She completely immerses herself into the role, taking on not only the appearance of the legendary singer, but also the voice.

The story revolves around her comeback attempt in later life when, broke and homeless, she leaves her children behind in California and flies to London to mount a major review.

Her legions of fans are treated to less than stellar performances, however, as her dependence on alcohol and pills causes her to stumble.

The movie was made without the blessing of her daughter Liza Minelli, who announced publicly that she had absolutely no intention of ever seeing it.

A shame. I highly recommend this intimate, warts-and-all biopic for illuminating the heart, talent and genius of Judy Garland.

Book Review

My Sister’s Keeper

By Jodi Picoult

I’m a big fan of Jodi Picoult; her novel, Small Great Things, is one of my favourite reads.

My Sister’s Keeper was written in 2004, when the issues of ‘designer babies’ were entering the public consciousness.

The story revolves around Anna, a 13-year old girl who was conceived by her parents using a technique that would guarantee a genetic match with her older sister Kate, who suffered from a deadly form of leukemia.

For her entire life, Anna has undergone a painful series of operations in order to harvest blood and bone marrow in order to keep her sister’s condition in remission. But the inevitable day has arrived where the disease has deteriorated Kate’s organs to the point where she needs a kidney transplant.

Anna is the perfect match, but in a decision that shocks her family, she hires a lawyer and seeks to establish legal right to her own body. The decision has the potential to tear her family apart and kill her sister.

The author ingeniously explores Anna’s inner thoughts, as well as those of her mother Sara and father Brian, through various points-of-view and flashbacks as her lawsuit slowly moves through the legal system.

The book sheds light on important ethical issues that are becoming more commonplace as medical science advances into the realm of reproduction. While doing so, it explores the very nature of love in a poignant, anguished manner. I highly recommend My Sister’s Keeper.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

LIFE IN MEXICO

The west coast of Mexico is one of the prime migration paths for whales. Every year, blue, gray and humpback whales migrate from frigid arctic waters to the Sea of Cortez to give birth to their young. They eat krill, tiny shrimp-like marine life that abound in these waters.

Occasionally, baby whales are beached and the Mexican Navy is called out to rescue them. Tragically, whales are occasionally struck by commercial ships transiting the coast. But for the most part, they are seen breaching into the air with their off-spring, delighting everyone who witnesses the joyful act.

FAVORITE RECIPE; VODKA PENNE

This is an old family favorite that is easy to make and tastes delicious. In addition, you get to set it on fire!

Ingredients

3 Tsp butter

1 Tsp olive oil

4 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp salt

8 mushrooms, chopped

¼ cup white onion, chopped

¼ cup chopped prosciutto

2 boneless chicken breasts, cut into ½ in cubes

½ cup vodka

½ cup whipping cream

½ cup black olives

1 Tsp parsley, chopped

½ tsp pepper

1 package penne

2 Tsp grated parmesan

Directions

In a pot with a lid, sauté garlic and onion in butter and oil. Stir in chicken and mushrooms, and fry until brown.

Add vodka and ignite for several seconds. Extinguish with lid. Stir in cream, olives, salt, pepper and prosciutto.

Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

Serve on cooked penne.

Sprinkle with parmesan and parsley.

Check out Runaway Bomb.

A mad scientist steals a suitcase bomb in an audacious plan to build the world’s most powerful engine. It’s up to FBI Agent Jack Kenyon to intervene before terrorists get hold of the nuclear weapon.

Purchase Runaway Bomb on Amazon!

FAVORITE MOVIE

Where’d You Go, Bernadette

In this case, Where’d You Go, Bernadette is both a favorite book and movie. Written by Maria Semple and published in 2012, the comedy/mystery novel revolves around the sudden disappearance of Bernadette Fox. The story is told, in part, from the point-of-view of her 15-year old daughter Bee, who pieces together the events leading up to her mother’s disappearance.

The movie, on the other hand, is told from Bernadette’s perspective (played by Cate Blanchett). An architect by training, she has given up a brilliant career in LA (after a hostile neighbour secretly purchased a landmark home she had designed and subsequently razed it), and settled in Seattle with her husband Elgin.

The domestic life doesn’t suit Bernadette, and she soon finds herself embroiled in a dispute with her neighbour that results in a mud slide that ruins the latter’s home. She plans a trip to Antarctica to escape her increasingly demented life in Seattle, causing Elgin and Bee to pursue her to the bone-chilling continent.

Written and directed by Richard Linklater (Before Midnight), the move is both funny and heartbreaking, an exploration of obsession and mental illness and the effects they can have on the people who love you as they desperately try to intervene.

I highly recommend Where’d You Go Bernadette in all its forms; both the book and movie are vastly enjoyable!

FAVORITE MYSTERY NOVEL

Bruno, Chief of Police,

By Martin Walker

We’ve been fans of Martin Walker’s Bruno series for several years now, ever since we first discovered the police procedural while vacationing in southern France.

The series is set in the Dordogne, in the fictional village of St. Denis, and features the exploits of Benoît Courrèges, aka Bruno, the village chief of police. An attractive bachelor, he owns a small cottage in the hills above St. Denis where he entertains friends with his skill at preparing traditional cuisine.

Bruno, Chief of Police is the first in the series, and involves the murder of a former North African who fought for the French army. Evidence points to anti-immigrant militants, but as the chief digs further, he begins to uncover some uncomfortable truths surrounding the victim.

The pace of the novel is slow and deliberate as Bruno methodically pieces the strands of the mystery together, all the while interspersed with life in the rural south of France that entrances the reader and makes you want to hop a direct flight to Bergerac!

Although each book can be read in isolation, I recommend you start with the first and get to know all the characters as they are introduced and grow in your heart.

Friends is a non-profit organization based in Manzanillo and dedicated to the well-being of pets in the community, providing medicine, care and sterilization services.

It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon and Fred and Maria invite me along to return two sterilized dogs to their owner.

Ramone lives on a plot of land overlooking the lagoon south of Manzanillo. His modest home is surrounded by a stone fence with an iron gate. When we arrive, he comes to greet us with at least a dozen dogs happily trailing behind him.

“How many dogs do you own?” I ask.

“Twenty.” Ramone shrugs helplessly. “People know I love dogs. They come and shove them through the bars in my gate. I cannot turn them away.”

With aid from Friends, Ramone is able to sterilize and care for the dogs, many of whom arrive with diseases like mange, or injuries. Thanks to contributions, Friends was able to help Ramone and many more pet lovers with big hearts but modest means. Please go to their site at Friends and help them out!

MY FAVORITE RECIPES

Watermelon Salad

This is absolutely the most amazing fruit salad, one that your guests will be talking about for ages. It is very easy to make and is a refreshing palate cleanser between courses. Most of all, it will put a big smile on everyone’s face!

Ingredients

Seedless watermelon.

1/4 cup of Pine nuts.

1 cup Feta cheese, cubed

Mint leaves (optional)

Creamy balsamic vinegar

Directions

Cut the watermelon into cubes (just under 1 inch on the side).

Lightly toast the pine nuts.

Cube the feta cheese into ½ inch size.

Just before serving, mix all the ingredients together (this keeps the pine nuts crispy). Serve at the table and let guests add the creamy balsamic vinegar as dressing.

SPECIAL EVENT

A Paris Moment Giveaway!

Happy Holidays! For this month only, you can download A Paris Moment, my travel memoir recounting the year that Linda and I lived in Paris. It’s a great book to read if you’re planning on going to France next year, or even just dreaming about it!

Download A Paris Moment for Free!

MOVIES AND BOOKS THAT I LOVE

The Irishman

Starring Robert de Niro, Al Pacino and Joe Pesci.

Directed by Martin Scorsese.

Produced by Netflix.

Based on the book I Heard You Paint Houses, by Charles Brandt.

The Irishman tells the story of Frank Sheeran, a young Boston truck driver (played by de Niro) who willingly joins the mob in order to support his family. He soon gets drawn to murder and extortion, earning him the recognition of major mob figures, including Russell Bufalino (played by Joe Pesci). Along the way, he encounters prominent American figures including Bobby Kennedy and Jimmy Hoffa (played by Al Pacino).

Under the patient hand of Scorsese, the story plays out in a leisurely fashion over several decades, endowing the murky goings-on of the mafia with an almost legitimate panache that belies their corrupting effect on society. Rather than face the usual fates – a hail of bullets or a hundred years in the pen – Sheeran finds himself in old age, shunned by his family and ignored by a world that has moved on.

The Irishman is evocative of Scorcese’s earlier work, Goodfellas (also starring Pesci and de Niro), depicting a domestic path far from the hyper-violence that typically characterizes a gangster movie (think Scarface, starring Al Pacino and directed by Brian de Palma).

At 3 ½ hours, The Irishman is definitely long, but in true Netflix fashion, you have the option of binging or sampling the movie one delicious slice at a time. Either way, it is a true confection.

BOOKS THAT I LOVE

PRESUMED INNOCENT

By Scott Turow

I love Scott Turow. In my opinion, he is the best court procedural novelist in existence.

Presumed Innocent is his first novel. It takes place in Kindle County, a major US metropolis. Public prosecutor Rusty Sabich is in charge of the investigation into the murder of fellow prosecutor Carolyn Polhemus after her nude, bound body is found in her home.

Events quickly turn bad for Rusty. Investigators soon discover that he had a passionate, obsessive affair with Carolyn, a fatal attraction he was desperate to conceal from his wife Barbara. The circumstantial evidence mounts, and he is charged with her first-degree murder and taken to trail by prosecutor Tommy Molto.

Piece by piece, Molto puts together a water-tight case, outlining to the jury the means, motive and opportunity for Sabich to murder his lover. It’s up to Rusty’s wily defense lawyer, Sandy Stern, to prove his innocence. As the trial proceeds, the tension builds inexorably to a shattering conclusion.

Even though the book was written over 30 years ago and made into a feature movie (starring Harrison Ford as Sabich), it still remains one of my favorite books to go back and read time and time again. If you’re looking for a wonderful holiday treat to fill a cold afternoon, then Presumed Innocent is the book for you!

Beaujolais Nouveau Day November 21!

NEWSLETTER 2019 10

Life In Mexico

Linda and I decide to take a summer break in Mexico City. We book a room through Air B&B in the Colonia of Polanco, just north of Chapultepec Park.

Our hosts, Rodrigo and his lovely family, share their chic apartment with their Schnauzer Lolita.

Rodrigo is also one of the preeminent chefs in the country, renowned for his imagination and flair. After we are settled in, he invites us to Agua Y Sal (water and salt), his seafood restaurant.

As owner and chef, he has created a menu that is rich in both taste and Mexican heritage, including a mouth-watering selection of that quintessential Mexican dish, ceviche.

“I recommend you try Cebiche a la Lena,” says Rodrigo.

The dish is a colorful mixture of fresh white fish, shrimp grilled in butter and garlic, grated chili sauce, purple onion, coriander, roasted corn and a touch of smoked Alderwood salt.

You can also order from a full selection of entrees off the main menu, but I found it preferable to eat tapas style, sampling the selection of tacos, small bites and excellent desserts.

Salud!

Agua Y Sal Cebicheria

Campos Elíseos 199-A, Polanco, Polanco IV Secc, 11560 Ciudad de México, CDMX

http://www.aguaysal.com.mx

My Favorite Recipes

Chamorro de cerdo

Pork shank is a popular Sunday meal in Mexico. It is inexpensive, easy to make and absolutely delicious!

Ingredients

1 pork shank.

¼ cup of flour

1 Tsp of chili powder

1 Tsp of butter

Four carrots

1 cup of baby potatoes

½ a white onion

½ cup of water or broth

1 tsp of salt

Ground pepper

Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 400 F.

Mix the flour and chili powder together in a plastic bag. Insert the pork shank and lightly coat the meat. (Save 1 Tsp of the remaining flour and chili powder).

Fry the shank in butter, browning on all four sides.

Cut the carrots, onion and potatoes and place in the bottom of a cast-iron pot. Pour in the water or broth.

Place the shank atop the vegetables and bake in the oven, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Cover and reduce heat to 350 F. Cook for a further two hours.

When the meat is tender, remove from the oven and separate the meat and vegetables.

Tent the shank and let rest for 10 minutes while preparing the gravy by mixing 1 Tsp of the remnant flour and chili mix with the drippings.

Flake the meat off the shank and serve to appreciative guests!

Check out the Runaway Bomb video on YouTube!

Runaway Bomb now available on Amazon!

BOOK REVIEW

The Love of One’s Country

By Brian Brennan

Available through Amazon

On its surface, this is a narrative following two threads; that of a young Irish man living in the 20^th century, and a forebear from the 19^th century. But at its heart, this is also a mystery novel.

Jerry Burke is a 23-year-old native of Dublin whose soul is being crushed by a mindless job in the Irish civil service. He dreams of a better, more romantic life in the New World. When he is offered an opportunity to emigrate to Canada, he leaps at the chance.

Diarmuid Burke is a school teacher in rural Ireland and the youngest son of acclaimed poet Mary Burke. He is also descended from rebels seeking independence from British rule. When the potato famine of 1847 strikes, however, he must uproot himself and flee.

Arriving in Vancouver in the 1960s, Jerry Burke pursues love, music and writing, traveling to Northern Canada before finally settling down in Alberta. As a reporter, he comes across the story of a mysterious ancestor who seemed to have disappeared into thin air.

The journey that Diarmuid undergoes is stark and tragic. Boarding a ‘coffin ship’ bound for Canada, he and his new wife endure misery and death as the majority of the 500 passengers aboard the vessel die of malnutrition and disease during the voyage.

Following the trail of a long-lost journal, Jerry traces Diarmuid’s trek to his final stop in Ile de Madeleine, a quarantine station in the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Quebec City. There, the teacher and his wife meet a tragic end.

By interweaving the two stories, the author creates a riveting tale that is both uplifting and heartbreaking. I highly recommend you read The Love of One’s Country.

MYSTERY MOVIES AND TV SERIES THAT I LOVE!

The Bletchley Circle

Produced by ITV, 2012-2014

Starring Julie Graham, Hattie Morahan, Rachael Stirling and Anna Maxwell Martin.

Available on Netflix.

The TV series is set in the early 1950s in London. Britain is still recovering from World War II, and the men and women who formerly fought for their country are now engaged in civilian careers.

Millie, Jean, Susan and Lucy are typical women pursuing family, careers and passions. During the war, however, they worked at Bletchley Park, the secret headquarters for the deciphering of Nazi codes. Employing their unique powers of deduction, they uncovered troop and U boat movements, saving countless lives and hastening the end of the war.

Now, the brutal murder of a young woman brings them together again as they race against time to stop a serial killer from preying on defenseless targets. Using logic and reasoning, they peel back the carefully constructed cover of a brilliant, ruthless psychopath hiding in plain sight.

Not only is The Bletchley Circle a riveting thriller, it is richly executed in terms of period costumes, vehicles and interior decorations from the early fifties. It gives the series an authenticity by conjuring up both the period and outlook that infused the post war mentality of Britons. This is a real treat for both the eyes and the mind!

The Far Side, By Gary Larson

NEWSLETTER 2019 09

LIFE IN MEXICO

Linda and I are visiting Mary in San Miguel de Allende. The world heritage site is a colonial town, largely preserved from its glories in the 17^th century when it was a centre for silver mining in the High Sierra of central Mexico.

Mary has a cozy apartment in the Colonia of Guadalupe. We walk into Centro where the main Mercado is located. The covered marketplace is a riot of retailing, a myriad of stalls selling everything from wedding cakes and sombreros to figs and roast pig. Mary stops at a dairy stall and buys some overripe queso, a local cheese.

I catch a whiff. “Whoo! You going to kill rats with that?”

“Funny guy.” Mary stuffs it into her grocery cart. “I use it to make friends.”

Since Mexican President Obrador shut down gasoline thieves earlier in the year, the gangs have branched into extortion to make a living. Several restaurant owners in nearby Celaya had been murdered when they refused to sell drugs on their premises, and a number of cantinas in San Miguel closed their doors when faced with the same dilemma. Local citizens are on edge, and taking precautions.

We come across one safeguard as we return to Mary’s apartment. A pit-bull cross begins to growl and slather at us from the terrace on top of an adjacent home.

I just about jump out of my shoes in shock. “What the hell is that?”

“Roof dog.” Mary digs out the smelly cheese and flings it underhand in an arc. “It’s the cheapest way of protecting your home.”

The head of the dog disappears for a moment, then reappears, its large tongue licking its chops.

“How’d you like that?” shouts Mary.

“Roof!”

RECIPES FROM MY BOOKS

Mushroom & Pepperoni Pizza

From Runaway Bomb

Pizza is made everywhere around the world, but not everyone makes it the same. Mexicans love to eat pizza with green salsa instead of pizza sauce, for instance. I decided long ago that the easiest way to get exactly what I want is to cook it myself.

Ingredients

4 cups fine (OO) flour

1 tsp of salt

1 cup of warm water

1 packet of yeast

1 Tsp of sugar

4 mushrooms

16 pepperoni slices

1 cup shredded cheese

½ cup of mozzarella

For the sauce

1 jar of crushed Italian tomatoes

1 clove crushed garlic

3 Tsp of herb de Provence mix

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp ground pepper

Cooking Directions

Pre-heat your oven to 450 F.

Mix the fine flour (you can buy excellent pasta flour at your local Italian grocery), with a teaspoon of salt. Blend the yeast and sugar into slightly over one cup of warm water. Let the yeast rise for 15 minutes before mixing it in with the flour. Knead the dough for a few minutes until it takes on a soft, pliable texture. (If the dough feels too hard, add a little more water). Let rest for fifteen minutes on a cutting board.

While the dough is resting, cut the mushrooms into thin slices. I like to cut up mozzarella balls into thin slices to add, as well.

You can buy pizza sauce pre-mixed, but I like to make my own by mixing the crushed Italian tomatoes with garlic, dried herb de Provence mix, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of ground pepper.

When the dough has risen, break into three portions, freezing two for later use. Roll out the dough ball into a crust roughly 12-in in diameter on a sheet of lightly floured parchment paper. You can leave the crust for 15 minutes to allow it to rise slightly, or you can immediately place the crust and parchment paper on a pizza tray and slide it into the oven to create a thin crust.

After 5 minutes, remove the crust and cover it with 5 tablespoons of pizza sauce, the pepperonis, mushrooms and cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, then cut it into 8 slices and serve immediately.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Thanks to everyone for supporting the launch of Runaway Bomb in August! You can download the eBook or buy the paperback at the following link:

Order your copy of Runaway Bomb here!

MURDER MYSTERIES THAT I LOVE

Where the Crawdads Sing

By Delia Owens,

Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons

This is a murder mystery set in the small coastal community in North Carolina during the 1960s. Barkley Cove is a sheltered port adjacent to the marshes and wetlands that extend for many miles to the south. The victim is Chase Andrews, son of a prominent local family and former high school athletic star. He is found one morning at the base of an abandoned fire tower outside of town, his body crushed.

Sherriff Ed Jackson and his deputy are stumped. There are no foot tracks in the mud around the body; it appears as though he fell through an open hatch in the observation tower. But what was he doing there in the middle of the night? Was it an accident, or was he pushed?

The small town is soon rife with rumors. Some speculate it was done by a jealous husband, furious at Chase’s amorous attention to married women. Others thought it might be a madman on the loose.

Most pin the death on the ‘Marsh Girl’, however. Kya Clark was a young single woman who lives in alone in a shack deep in the marsh. She is shunned by the community because she comes from ‘white trash’, the poor who live in the swamplands outside of the law. She is loathed and feared by the good citizens of Barkley Cove, and, as evidence mounts that it was not an accident, suspicions naturally focus her way.

The author, Delia Owens, is an internationally acclaimed wildlife scientist with several non-fiction books to her credit, including Cry of the Kalahari. In this, her first novel, she brings a sensitivity to nature honed by several decades of field work in Africa, evoking the majesty of the wetlands of America’s eastern coast with keen insight and observation.

But this is also a mystery full of twists and turns as it alternates in time between Kya’s early upbringing in the swamp and the investigation into the murder a decade later. A mystery is a partnership between the reader and the writer, in which the latter must carefully spread the clues and events in a manner that allows the tale to unfold in a natural rhythm that carries the reader carefully through the narrative, respecting both their intelligence and anticipation. Will the guilty be caught? Will justice be done? A good writer leaves all avenues open until the final resolution, where the reader is fully satisfied that it is the most logical and inevitable outcome.

Owens goes further, imaginatively using the ecology of the marsh as an extended metaphor for the behaviour of humans in society toward each other. We are only a few generations from the tribal forest, and the conduct we exhibit toward strangers and outcasts still uncomfortably mirrors the behaviour of hunter and hunted in the wild. The cruelty that the town-folk inflict upon an orphan child who grows up in complete isolation should not happen to a lowly skunk, and when she is arrested for the murder of Chase Andrews, it is the nadir of the town’s hostility.

Her enemies cannot crush Kya’s spirit, however, and her few friends offer support and aid in her defence. Will the guilty be caught? Will justice be done? I highly recommend you get hold of Where the Crawdads Sing and find out.

ADAPTATIONS OF BOOKS THAT I LOVE

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Written by John Berendt

Movie by Clint Eastwood.

This is not a novel, but a work of non-fiction by the journalist John Berendt. It tells the story of a shocking death that occurred in the city of Savannah, Georgia, in the early 1980s. The victim is a young hustler, killed by his mentor, a prominent antiques dealer living in the city’s largest mansion. The characters that populate the narrative include an outrageous performing drag queen, a paranoid genius with a bottle of poison, disbarred lawyers, voodoo witches and the bulldog mascot of the U of Georgia.

Clint Eastwood adapted the eponymous novel in 1997. It stars Jude Law as the victim Billy Hanson, Kevin Spacey as Jim Williams, the millionaire murderer, and John Cusack as Kelso, the investigating reporter. It is both a disturbing mystery and an incisive social commentary, all deeply immersed in black humor. Eastwood delves deeply into the book to deliver richly conceived characters, dialogue and visuals. I have re-watched this movie many times, and every viewing reveals new layers of subtext that add to my enjoyment. This is one of the few movies I have ever seen in which I would someday love to visit the setting, if only to see if the city is truly as eccentric as portrayed. I consider Midnight the best movie Eastwood every directed, and I highly recommend it.

NEWSLETTER AUGUST 2019

LIFE IN MEXICO

Geraldo’s Restaurant.

We are at Geraldo’s Cantina in central Santiago, three doors down from the parish church. The exterior walls are made of brick and plaster, some two feet thick. A tin roof is held aloft by wooden beams. Patrons sit at picnic tables beneath naked light bulbs and whirring fans. Chickens peck at the soil under an adjacent grove of papaya trees.

We are here on a Saturday evening to celebrate Linda’s birthday. Geraldo makes the best margarita in town, and we toast her health as a man with an accordion plays a celebratory tune.

Geraldo, a handsome man with bulging biceps, arrives at our table with his order pad. “What would everyone like to eat?”

Linda reckons that Geraldo’s mom’s pork is the best in town. “I’ll have the ribs,” she says.

Andy orders garlic soup, and Coleen opts for the tortilla stuffed with BBQ beef and fried onions.

The chicken fajita catches my eye. “Is it free range?”

Geraldo turns and points to a hen plucking away at the dirt. “That’s all we serve!”

My meal turns out to be excellent. The breast is tender and moist, with a tangy taste that I cannot quite identify. Just as we are finishing, a man in a white jacket walks in and checks out the kitchen. He soon leaves, satisfied that all is well.

“That’s the restaurant inspector,” explains Geraldo. “He always gives us a clean bill of health – never found a single cockroach!”

 “How do you manage to get rid of cockroaches?” I ask.

Geraldo nods proudly to his flock. “The chickens eat them!”

RECIPES FROM MY BOOKS

Pintade Farcie

From A Paris Moment

This recipe, stuffed chicken, is a favourite in Paris, and can usually be purchased from a butcher ready-prepared. But unless you happen to be in the Marais or the Left Bank, you’re going to have to make it yourself.

Start with a pound of minced veal (or pork), and poach it in one cup of chicken broth. Drain the meat and mix it with a cup of chopped mushrooms, one cup of breadcrumbs, a teaspoon of salt and a teaspoon of pepper.

Pintade is a type of wild fowl, but you can make do with a whole chicken. Split the chicken open and carefully remove the breast bone to create a large cavity. Stuff the cavity with the filling and use butcher’s twine to string it back together. Place the roast into a Creuset iron pot on a bed of roughly sliced onions, pour in the chicken broth and cook for 1 ½ hours at 400 F.

When cooked, remove the pintade, tent it with tinfoil and let it rest for 10 minutes. Lift the bed of onions out and set aside. Place the iron pot on a stove burner set at medium. Mix two tablespoons of white flour with the broth and stir until it turns to gravy (add a bit of red wine for extra flavour).

Slice the pintade like a stuffed meat roast. Serve with the gravy, onion garnish, roast potatoes and a hearty Bordeaux.

Freebie!

In celebration of the launch of the latest Jack Kenyon Mystery Series, Runaway Bomb, I’m giving away the eBook to the first in the series, Secret Combinations. Just go to the link and download the file to your eReader!

Download Secret Combinations for Free!

Special Event

Runaway Bomb Book Launch.

My latest Jack Kenyon FBI mystery thriller is being released Friday, August 9!

Here’s what readers are saying about it;

“I love Runaway Bomb! It’s well-written and very exciting. I can’t wait to read the next FBI Jack Kenyon Mystery!”

MC Anderson, founder of the San Miguel de Allende Book Club.

You can pre-order here!

Pre-order your copy of Runaway Bomb here!

Credit; Gary Larson

Book review

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

By Stuart Turton

This is both an ingenious and frustrating mystery novel.

It begins with a man stumbling out from a dark forest after witnessing what he believes to be a murder. He seeks refuge in Blackheath, an ancient, crumbling English mansion where Lord Hardcastle and his wife are hosting a fete on the anniversary of the death of their infant son. The man has suffered a blow to his head and cannot remember his past, although the guests in attendance have known Aiden for years and offer him succour. They are also sceptical of his reports of a murder in the woods, however. A hunt has been planned; the men dubiously set off in search of a corpse.

So far, so good. It appears to be a classic whodunit of the Agatha Christie school; murder most foul, a secluded location, and a cast of disreputable men and women with motives ranging from lust to greed to revenge, and an amateur sleuth to figure it out.

But that is where all similarities end, because the author has incorporated a ‘Groundhog Day’ device, in which Aiden is given 24 hours to solve the murder then is recast into a different guest at the stroke of midnight. One day he occupies the body a drug-dealing doctor, the next a fat, aging banker, with a total of eight days to figure out who keeps killing Evelyn Hardcastle.

If that doesn’t seem complicated enough, there are other competing sleuths. They lie, cheat and mislead one another; the person who solves the murder mystery first will be released from this rustic, repetitious purgatory. The effect is to create a bewildering multiplicity of plot twists and turns that has the reader returning to previous chapters in order to rewind the narrative.

For lovers of complex, innovative mysteries, the novel is a delight that vicariously teases the brain – there is good reason it was bestowed the Costa Book Award for First Novel. Be aware, however, that it is also a supernatural-type mystery in which a mysterious figure concealed in the costume of a medieval doctor, complete with dark cloak and raven’s mask, intervenes in Aiden’s efforts.

In the end, the solution to the murder and the reason for the Groundhog Day device are both brilliant and vexing. I heartily recommend The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, but I also warn you; read at your peril.

FAVOURITE TV AND MOVIE ADAPTATIONS

JUSTIFIED, TV series, (2010-1015)

Produced by FX Network (now available on Amazon Prime).

Conceived by Elmore Leonard

I’ve always been a big fan of Elmore Leonard. He is a genius at writing dialogue between grifters, drifters and low life, and creating the most ridiculous, yet utterly believable crime dramas. His books have been made into numerous movies, including Get Shorty, with John Travolta playing a loan-sharking mobster who moves to Hollywood and discovers that the two businesses aren’t that far apart, and Out of Sight, in which George Clooney plays an escaped bank robber who kidnaps a beautiful US marshall.

Justified is based on Fire in the Hole, a short story written by Leonard. The Emmy award-winning TV series features Raylan Givens (played by Timothy Olyphant), a 21^st century US Marshall with a decidedly 19^th century approach to criminal justice. Givens is the archetypal Leonard hero; a lawman who can outdraw, outdrink and outfight any bad guy who ever had the misfortune to come his way. Thanks to Leonard’s presence on the series as an executive producer from 2010 to his death in 2013, Givens’ enemies, mostly back-woods Kentucky hillbillies, are fleshed out beyond the typical stereotypes that lazier writers might have been tempted to foist on viewers. Leonard’s laconic sense of humor and writing skill elevates this TV series well above the crime genre norm, and I highly recommend it.