2024 04 09

April 2024 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in Paris

Sigh. It’s snowing like hell in Calgary so I thought I’d dig through the vault and find a bit of happiness in Paris. This is the El Vecino Mexican Restaurant located near Place de la République. We didn’t eat there, but the sign out front caught my eye and I couldn’t resist a selfie. Fu*K your Diet is the name of their signature German ginger beer.

Life in Mexico

Years ago, the area around Club Santiago was a castor oil plantation. The beans from the plant were used to make plastics, varnishes and paints. When cheaper alternatives were found, the plantations were abandoned. But the plant itself is quite hardy, and descendants can be found growing in ditches along roads throughout the area.

Unfortunately, the beans contain ricin, one of the deadliest poisons known to mankind. Even a speck as small as a grain of sand can kill you. Casual contact with the skin can also lead to burning and blistering.

The reason I’m calling it to your attention is because the plant grows around the Club Santiago golf course; you can see them in profusion along the third and fourth fairways where they border the highway.

If the beans are inadvertently ground up and dispersed by the ground crews mowing the fairways, you can accidentally come in contact with traces of ricin.

Soviet agents have used ricin to poison their foes, so you should avoid them too. (That’s Xenia Onatopp, the deadly spy from Goldeneye, in case you’re wondering.)

Should you break out in a rash or blisters, treat it with over-the-counter cortisone cream or Calamine lotion.

TV Review

The Gentlemen

Streaming on Netflix

I’m not the biggest fan of film producer Guy Ritchie. He loves to do British crime gang movies with lots of Cockney low life and grisly shot-gun duels. So it was with trepidation that I approached The Gentlemen.

On the surface, it’s much like his usual fare. A career officer by the name of Eddie inherits a dukedom from his father Lord Halstead when the latter prefers him over his dissipated eldest son Freddy. Freddy is flamboyantly aghast at this turn of events, mainly because he owes 4 million to a nasty bit of business to whom Theo must cough up lest his brother suffer defenestration

That’s not the worst of Eddie’s problems. It turns out that a gang run by a carbuncle named Bobby Glass has established a grow-op on the estate and isn’t about to up sticks. His daughter, the delicious Susie Glass, must play intermediary as various shenanigans, including heists and murder, complicate matters.

What makes the TV series so much fun is the fast-pace, plot twists and general eccentricity that seems to permeate every character. It’s a lot of fun to watch, and I highly recommend The Gentlemen!

All my novels are available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers!

You can also buy eBooks and paperbacks on Amazon!

Movie Review

The Holdovers

Streaming on Amazon Prime

It’s a quirky premise; a cranky professor at a prestigious prep academy is forced to stay on duty over the Christmas holidays along with a stranded student and a grieving school cook.

So, why did this period piece set in 1971 receive 5 Academy award nominations, including Best Picture of the Year?

Paul Giamatti is reason number one. The award-winning actor brings his rumpled everyman persona to the role of Paul Hunhan, a life-long bachelor who has dedicated his career to nurturing the pampered spawn of America’s elites. His efforts at Barton Academy in the face of supreme apathy has completely depleted his passion for teaching, leaving a bitter husk of a man.

Angus, the student (played by Dominic Sessa), has been abandoned at the last minute after his mother and his new step-dad elope to St. Kitts.  He vows to make the holiday as miserable as only an angst-filled teenage boy can do.

Mary, the head cook (brilliantly portrayed by Da’Vine Joy Randolph), has lost her drafted son in the Vietnam War. Her grief and anger toward the deferred boys who attend Barton is palpable.

Together, the three form an unlikely alliance in an effort to survive their odious fortune. Slowly, they forge bridges between their emotional isolation. Each character grows in self-esteem and maturity, achieving the gift of Christmas that no mere present beneath the tree could achieve.

Although the only winning Oscar went to Da’Vine Joy Randolph for Supporting Actress, all of the nominees, including Giamatti as Leading Actor and David Meningson for Best Original Screenplay, are highly deserving.  This is a gem of a movie; I highly recommend The Holdovers!

Recipe: Roast Pork Belly

Cooking dinner literally doesn’t get any easier than this. You can pick up fresh pork belly at any Chinese butcher (a big shout-out to T&T market in Calgary!) and make this tender, succulent dish in under an hour.

Ingredients

1 kg of pork belly

Instructions

Score the top fat layer in a diamond shape pattern. Place in a shallow tin pan (I line the pan with parchment paper to make the clean-up easier).

Roast for 40 minutes at 400F.

Slice and serve with baked sweet potato and corn. Enjoy!

Book Review

Table for Two

By Amor Towles

Creating a short story is undoubtedly one of the most difficult tasks a writer can face. You have to create the main characters, setting, story and outcome to the satisfaction of the reader, all in a fraction of the space that a novel allows you. In addition, you have to include a twist in the plot, one that is both totally unexpected and, at the same time, totally believable.

I’m not an avid short story reader for that reason. I find that contemporary writers fall short of the mark when compared to O. Henry.

The exception is Amor Towles. We’ve always enjoyed his novels (A Gentleman in Moscow), so I didn’t hesitate when his latest fictional effort, Table for Two, was published. It’s a set of six short stories set in New York, and a novella set in Hollywood. The short stories are crafted like a fine Swiss watch, every word and phrase so exact that each tale captures the frailties and aspirations of the characters with exquisite precision, and each ending comes as both a surprise and a wish for the story to continue.

As an aside, people often ask me where I get my ideas. As any writer will tell you, it’s a combination of observation and inspiration. I’ll give you an example of the former. I was driving down McLeod Trail adjacent to the Stampede Grounds one evening when I glanced over and spotted a woman sitting at a bus shelter clutching a giant stuffed panda and crying her eyes out. Now you know there’s gotta be a story there.

Well I didn’t write about my observation, but Towles did. I will Survive involves a happenstance encounter that the author must have made while walking in Central Park that was so unique that it inspired him to cut a fascinating tale out of imaginary cloth. I won’t tell you and spoil it, but you’ll recognize immediately what I’m talking about when you read it. I highly recommend Table for Two!

2024 03 03

March 2024 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in Mexico

It’s the little things in life that makes living in Mexico so enjoyable.

Every other week, we go down to the Santiago market where the chicken ladies have a stall under a staircase. Their counters are festooned with broilers and eggs and poultry appendages.

Their free-range produce is classified as Mexi-organic, because Tia Maria who raises them can’t afford hormones or antibiotics, so you get them the same way they’ve been sold for the last 500 years.

Mama Angelica is in charge. When I ask for ‘Milanesa’, she picks up her razor-sharp cleaver and slices a breast so thin it’s the size of a bread board when she’s done.

Whenever I want to make paté, I always buy my livers there; although ‘buy’ is a misnomer as they just give me a bag.

And the price? I can buy enough chicken for twenty servings for around twenty-five bucks. Read it and weep.

Recipe; Mariposa Chicken

Mariposa (or butterfly) chicken is easy to make in less than an hour, and it always comes out moist, tender and delicious!

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

½ cup of butter, soft

1 garlic clove, crushed

1 tsp of salt

½ tsp of black pepper

2 Tsp of parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat the oven to 425F. (You can also cook it on the BBQ).

Split the backbone so that the whole chicken lies flat. You can do it at home if you have a good pair of meat shears, but it’s also sold pre-prepared; if you don’t see one out on the shelf, just ask the butcher to split one for you (butterfly translates as ‘mariposa’ in Spanish – easy to remember).

Lay the chicken skin-side up in an oven tray that has been sprayed with oil or covered with parchment paper and allow it to warm to room temperature.

Mix together the butter, garlic, salt, pepper and parsley into a paste. Place half the paste under the skin of the breast and legs, and spread the rest on top of the skin.

Roast for 45 minutes, then cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes before carving.

Enjoy!

Read all my books with a subscription to Kindle Unlimited!

You can also purchase eBooks and Paperbacks on Amazon!

Book Review

The Appeal

By Janice Hallett

The novel attracted quite a bit of attention when it debuted in 2021 due to the unusual structure; rather than telling the story of a murder using chronological narrative, the majority of the book is told through a series of emails and instant messages sent between the primary suspects.

This is a bit of a spoiler, but it will help you understand the premise right from the first paragraphby rather than having to fumble through several chapters trying to figure out what’s going on. Two independent investigators have been hired by the lawyer representing the imprisoned murderer in an attempt to overthrow the conviction. They are trolling through messages sent between friends and acquaintances prior to, and after, the murder in an attempt to find the real killer.

The story itself points to an intriguing range of motives. A two-year old girl is suffering from a rare brain cancer, one with little chance of survival. Her parents and grandparents are part of an amateur theatre company in an affluent English village, and they decide to launch a Gofundme appeal to raise money for an expensive, experimental treatment developed in the US.

As the investigators work through the correspondence, however, troubling questions emerge. Is someone stealing money from the appeal? Does the experimental cure, in fact, even exist? The reader is drawn through a series of interpersonal disputes that could very well escalate into nasty repercussions.

Even though the author creates a dozen potential suspects, in the end, Hallett wraps it up neatly with a bow, much to the satisfaction of yours truly. This is a unique twist on the Agatha-Christie English village murder mystery. I highly recommend The Appeal!

TV Series Review

Expats

Streaming on Amazon Prime

This six-part mini-series set in Hong Kong is based on the novel by Janice Lee. Normally, I would give the domestic drama a pass, but it stars Nicole Kidman, and I’d be a fool not to give it the sniff test.

I’m sure glad I did. Nicole stars as Margaret, the mother of three children, who is stationed in HK with her husband Clarke (played by Brian Tee). One day, she takes the children with their young nanny Mercy (Ji-Young Yoo), to the night market, where her four year old son Gus suddenly disappears.

The abduction sets off a series of crises in her family, with Margaret searching the city for signs of her son, and Michael retreating to the comfort of religion. The remaining two children are traumatized by fear that they might be next, and there’s nothing their parents can do to protect them.

The series explores a further layer of trauma within the extended community of HK’s domestic service industry. The opportunity for work draws hundreds of thousands of Filipina and Indonesian women to Singapore, HK and the North America seeking to support their families back home. Mercy is wracked by guilt, and Essie, who raised Margaret’s children from infancy, experiences the same nightmare that every mother faces.

The series is brilliantly cast, but it is Nicole who rises a level above with her unrivaled ability to evince her character’s grief through the tiniest of micro-expressions, magnified by the intense close-ups used by the cinematographer. You feel her pain, not through cries of anguish, but the immense, deep distress in her eyes.

This is a feast of Nicole Kidman’s talent that equals her best performances on both the big and small screens; I highly recommend Expats!

Documentary Review

American Symphony

Streaming on Netflix

For years, Jon Baptiste was well-known as the bandleader on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert.

He is also an accomplished song writer, singer and performer, teaming up with everyone from Stevie Wonder to Ed Sheeran. He has won 5 Grammy awards, including Album of the Year for We Are, in 2021.

The documentary, directed by Matthew Heineman and executive-produced by Barack and Michelle Obama, follows the artist as he composes American Symphony, an orchestral arrangement featuring black musical styles, and simultaneously deals with his wife Suleika’s relapse into leukemia.

This is a portrayal of their struggles to beat a deadly disease and to finish the biggest musical challenge of his career. The documentary is both intimate and majestic, as they suffer the pains of chemotherapy and celebrate the debut at Carnegie Hall. I highly recommend American Symphony.  

2024-02-09

February 2024 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in Mexico

There’s a line of coconut vendors at the side of the toll road heading toward Colima. Just past that is a shady cantina consisting of half a dozen picnic tables and a cow.

The cantina serves ‘pajarete’, which is made from milk straight from the cow. The vendor then adds vanilla, chocolate, strawberries and pure cane liquor. Essentially, it’s a milk-shake for alcoholics.

Because cows are milked in the morning only, pajarete is consumed at breakfast, and you can see many a thirsty truck driver at the cantina bracing themselves for the windy mountain roads ahead.

Pajarete tastes best when drunk from a clay mug, but if you’re in a hurry, they have go-cups that fit into the beverage holder on your console. The nice thing is, if you run out of gas, you can probably pour it into the tank and it will work just as well as the stuff you buy at Pemex.

FYI: Pajarete is also known as the ‘drink of death’, due to the fact that unscrupulous vendors swap out the cane liquor with wood alcohol. About two dozen people have been killed in the last year.

Recipe; Fish and Shrimp Curry

This is a great way to enjoy the fresh seafood we have in abundance in Manzanillo. Easy to prepare, and delicious to eat!

Ingredients

1 lb of dorado (or any white fish), cut into 1-in cubes.

12 peeled shrimp

2 Tsp of butter

Half an onion, chopped

Half a red pepper, chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 tsp of ginger, minced

1 Tsp of curry powder

1 tsp of cumin

1 tsp of paprika

1 can of peeled tomatoes

Fresh coriander and mint.

Directions

In a Dutch oven or large pan with lid, lightly fry the fish and shrimp in butter. Remove.

Fry the onion, garlic, ginger, pepper, and spices (add a little more butter if it gets dry).

Add the tomatoes, cover and simmer on low for about 20 minutes.

Return the fish and shrimp to the pan and simmer for another two minutes.

Serve on rice with mint and coriander topping.

Enjoy!

Read all my books with a subscription to Kindle Unlimited!

You can also purchase eBooks and Paperbacks on Amazon!

Book Review

The Paradise Trilogy

By Elin Hilderbrand

We’ve always been big fans of Elin Hilderbrand, who has written about a million novels set in the island of Nantucket. As an author, she creates a background ‘bible’ for every major fictional character, in which their life is lovingly detailed with everything from their favorite childhood sundae to the designer jeans they wear.

I know, it sounds a little over the top, but this allows the celebrated ‘Queen of the beach read’ to take the dramatic circumstances of the main characters (death of a child, a cheating spouse), and weave a rich tapestry that literally pulls you into their lives.

The Paradise Trilogy (Winter in Paradise, What Happens in Paradise, and Troubles in Paradise), is an outlier for two reasons. Most of Hilderbrand’s novels are stand-alone, in that they rarely have sequels. The trilogy is also set in the US Virgin Islands, which happens to have an identical tropical environment to what we experience in Manzanillo.

The series revolves around Irene Steele, wife of Robert Steele and mother to two adult sons, Baker and Cash. She lives in Iowa City in a Victorian house; its restoration has been her main occupation while her husband travels the world on business.

Irene’s life is turned upside-down, however, when her husband dies in a helicopter accident in the US Virgin Islands. When she journeys there with her two sons, she learns that Robert owned an immense mansion overlooking the St. John harbor.

She also discovers that he has been living a secret life with a mistress in the mansion. As the plot unfolds, her bewilderment turns to anger as she realizes the depths of duplicity that her husband has descended. One twist follows another as she and her sons try to adapt to the new reality of their lives.

We both found the series very addictive, and read all three books in a matter of days! I highly recommend The Paradise Trilogy.

Documentary Review

The Greatest Night in Pop

Streaming on Netflix

In January 28, 1985, three dozen of the greatest pop stars on the planet got together for a single night to record We Are the World, a pop tune designed to raise money for the relief of starvation in Africa.

The original idea came from Harry Belafonte, who had been inspired by the Christmas Carol, Do They Know It’s Christmas? He asked friends Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson to write the tune and lyrics, and encouraged American and European stars to participate.

The challenge, of course, was to get all the singers in one room for one night. They chose the evening of the American Music Awards, knowing that the majority of participants would be in Los Angeles to celebrate, and then cajoled stars like Bruce Springsteen who were on tour to make a special detour.

The documentary largely relies on taped footage that was recorded during the rehearsal and performance, as well as interviews conducted by director Bao Nguyen with participants such as Richie, Springsteen and Huey Lewis. In the end, the documentary is much more than a stroll down musical memory lane as it is a revealing insight into the real people behind the carefully crafted public personas of the performers.

The song was rewarded a Grammy and ended up raising $100 million in aid. I highly recommend The Greatest Night in Pop.

Mexican Strawberry Champagne Cocktail

We’re celebrating Linda’s birthday this month, and there’s no better way than Champagne on the beach!

Ingredients

Strawberries

1 Tsp of lemon juice

½ tsp of vanilla extract

Champagne (or any dry sparkling wine)

Gently pulse the strawberries, lemon juice, vanilla extract and crushed ice in a blender, then mix with bubbly in a large wine glass. Enjoy!

French Digital Tour 2013 - Couleur

June 2023 Newsletter (2)

by Newsletter

Life in France

Linda and I have been in Antibes for almost a month now, and we love it!

Even though Antibes is in France and Manzanillo in Mexico, it’s amazing how much the two towns have in common. The people are friendly and laid-back, the sun shines most of the year-round, and the streets are lined with palms. But there are also glaring differences – here are a few observations.

Crazy Scooter Drivers

Not a day goes by in Manzanillo where you don’t see a moto flying down the street with a five year old jammed between mom and pop and a tyke plopped on the gas tank, gleefully clinging to the handlebars.

European drivers may not have the household strapped in, but they sure love to race their Vespas along the sidewalk should the street be clogged by lethargic traffic. I think there’s also a law that says they have to hold their cellphone in one hand and a Vape in the other while driving.

Tacos

That’s right, Diego, the ubiquitous street food of Mexico has gone big-time in France. They don’t limit themselves to boring things like tongue or BBQ brains over here, either. Our little taco joint down the block offers cordon bleu, scallops, spicy Thai sauce and fried eggs.

Fresh Ingredients

France prides itself in bio; the label on every head of lettuce and bag of spuds boasts about being grown with organic poo and no pesticides. Our neighborhood butcher, Monsieur Bardot, has Polaroids of happy calves taped to his veal display. Mexico is also big on bio, but mainly because farmers can’t afford the hormones and antibiotics for their cattle, and chickens are perfectly happy to wander around the yard feasting on ants and scorpions. Either way, you eat great.

Read all my books with a Kindle Unlimited Subscription!

You can also order eBooks and paperbacks on Amazon!

TV Series Review

Inside Man

Streaming on Netflix

Stanly Tucci plays Jefferson Grieff, a prisoner on death row who refuses to plead clemency for murdering his wife. He does, however, use his acute sense of deduction to solve seemingly baffling cases. Grief’s sidekick is a serial killer named Dillon (played with hilarious gruesomeness by Atkins Estimond).

Grieff is contacted by a woman who’s friend Janice has disappeared from her home in a tiny English village. Janice is, in fact, being held prisoner in the vestry basement by the vicar, who is wrestling with a moral dilemma that threatens to ruin his family and career.

The clock is ticking, and Grieff and his posse have to find and rescue Janice before a sinister fate befalls her. The four-part series is a tremendous mash-up of everything from Midsomer Murders to Silence of the Lambs, all held together by the inspired performance of Tucci. I highly recommend Inside Man!

2022 06 01

June 2022 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in France

We’ve just arrived back in France for the summer, and are pleased to see that teenagers have discovered a new form of immolation!

Twenty years ago, when we first moved to Paris, in-line roller blades were all the rage. Every Friday evening, about 10,000 maniacs would parade en masse through the streets, terrorizing pedestrians and fracturing appendages.

No longer. The latest craze is le trottinette, an electric scooter that can effortlessly whizz about at 25 kph. Not only do they traverse the narrow streets with ease, but also sidewalks and escalators, should the whim seize.

Naturally, French authorities have decreed children pass a mandatory competency test where they must simultaneously smoke a cigarette and dial a cellphone while in flight.

Friends ask us how we spend our days in France; do we go to museums and castles?

Hell no, we shop. Every corner has a butcher, a baker and a cheese store, each crammed with some of the most delectable chocolate cake, creamy Brie and mouth-watering steak.

Each morning we set out with our two-wheeled shopping cart (which they rather grandly call un chariot), and diligently inspect every baguette, courgette and tartlet we can find.

The fitness app on my cell phone says I walk an average of 10,000 steps each day, which would help me from swelling to the size of a hippo were it not for the several gallons of rosé, Chablis and Beaujolais  I consume daily.

Want to read more about life in France? Check out A Paris Moment, available on Amazon.

CLICK HERE TO ORDER

Recipe: Croque Monsieur

Doesn’t that look just scrumptious? The name of this recipe literally translates as Mister Crunch, and it is one of France’s favorite lunchtime meals!

Ingredients (makes 4)

5 tsp of butter

8 tsp of butter

¼ cup flower

4 cups whole milk

2 egg yolks

2 tsp salt

½ tsp ground nutmeg

8 slices of ham

8 slices Gruyere cheese

8 slices Bimbo white bread

Directions;

To make the Béchamel sauce;

In a medium saucepan warm 5 tsp of butter over medium heat until melted. Gradually add flour, stirring with a wooden spoon until smooth. Cook the mixture for 2-3 minutes.

In a separate saucepot, heat 4 cups of milk to simmer. Add to the butter mixture, ½ cup at a time, constantly whisking. Cook 12 minutes, stirring constantly. Turn heat off. Slowly stir in 1 egg yolk at a time. Season with salt and nutmeg.  

Heat oven to 300°F.

Assemble the sandwich:

Generously spread four slices of bread with béchamel sauce. Top each with ham and cheese and cover with remaining bread.

Melt the remaining 8 tablespoons butter and brush both sides of sandwiches. Fry sandwiches in a hot cast iron pan or on a griddle until golden brown.

Top sandwiches with more béchamel sauce and transfer to the oven to continue cooking until cheese bubbles, about 5-10 minutes.

My latest novel now available on Amazon!

Five star review on Amazon:

“A great historical novel!”

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years. The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent.

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family.

The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his trust and affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

TV Series

The Lincoln Lawyer (Season 1)

By Michael Connelly

Streaming on Netflix

Crime author Michael Connelly is internationally renowned for his main character Harry (Hieronymus) Bosch, an LAPD murder detective. But he also has a series dedicated to Mickey Haller, a top-drawer criminal lawyer.

Based on The Brass Verdict, Haller (played by Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), inherits a front-page murder trial when its original defense attorney is brutally assassinated. The accused is tech billionaire Trevor Elliot, who is charged with murdering his wife and lover in flagrante delicto.

It doesn’t look good for Elliot; he has no alibi, and his hands were covered with gunpowder residue when arrested. Haller, along with his dogged investigator Cisco Wojciechowski, must dig hard to come up with a viable defense.

Filled with lots of side plots and twists and turns to flesh out ten episodes, The Lincoln Lawyer is tremendously entertaining. Word has it that the series has been picked up for a second season; I look forward to it with great anticipation!

2022 05 03

May 2022 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in Mexico

It’s watermelon season in Manzanillo!

Every year around May, the town is full of vendors selling big, juicy watermelons from the back of their trucks. While you’re paying $15 in Canada, they’re three bucks on the street.

There’s a saying in Kelowna; the best way to eat a peach is to stand waist deep in Okanagan Lake.

The best way to eat a Mexican watermelon is to stand waist deep in the Pacific Ocean!

Recipe: French Toast Tacos

French toast tacos

I always enjoy reading David Lebovitz’s newsletter. I was admiring the Paris-based chef’s recipe for French toast when I had the brain wave to make it a little Mexican. Thanks for the inspiration, David!

Makes 1 serving

1 large egg

1 Tsp milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ tsp salt

I large flour tortilla

1 Tsp of butter

Cooked bacon and shredded cheese

Or: Sliced fruit; mango, blueberries, strawberries.

Maple syrup.

Beat the egg, milk, vanilla and salt together in a wide bowl. Dip the flour tortilla, turning once. Let it soak up the mix for a minute.

Fry in butter on low in a medium size pan. Brown the tortilla on both sides.

For savory; fill with cooked bacon and cheese, fold and serve.

For sweet; fill with fruit, drizzle on maple syrup, and fold.

Enjoy!

Buy my latest historical fiction on Amazon!

“This book is super!

Amazon 5-star Review

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years. The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent.

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family.

The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his trust and affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

TV Review

Bosch: Legacy

Streaming on Amazon IMBD (free)

Bosch: Legacy picks up after the seven original seasons, which saw homicide Detective Harry Bosch do battle with the corrupt LAPD hierarchy.

This spin-off captures the magic of the original; it takes place in the gritty realm of LA, it features co-stars Maddie (Madison Lintz), criminal lawyer Honey (Mimi Rogers) even Crate & Barrel (Gregory Cummins and Troy Evans).

What it doesn’t have is Harry the homicide detective. Now retired, Bosch has become a private investigator, but he still lives by the same motto; “either everyone counts, or no one counts.”

Bosch is hired by an aging billionaire who was bullied into abandoning his pregnant Latino bride by his father. Now, childless, he seeks his long-lost lover. But the discovery of an heir would throw the succession of his international business in jeopardy, and skulking minions look to thwart Bosch – at any cost.

I’ve loved Michael Connelly’s Bosch series throughout the 30 years that the LA-based author has been writing, and it’s a pleasure to see the main character (played impeccably by Titus Welliver) bring Harry alive on the screen. I look forward to more seasons!

Book Review

Cocaine Blues

By Kerry Greenwood

I first got turned on to the Miss Fisher mysteries by the excellent Australian TV series starring Essie Davis as Miss Phryne Fisher, an independently wealthy woman living in 1920s Melbourne. Miss Fisher was the ultimate flapper girl, living the high life as a rich, liberated woman with a passion for handsome men and fast cars.

Unfortunately, the TV series ended after a few seasons, and is generally hard to find on streaming services. So it was with great delight that when I began to read the book series, I found that the TV production had faithfully followed the spirit of its main protagonist, as well as the colorful cohort of cast members who rounded her adventures out.

Although one doesn’t have to start with the first book, Cocaine Blues, I recommend doing so as it sets up Miss Fisher’s background and her inspiration for solving crime. Every book features several cases for the amateur detective to solve, from kidnapping to missing kittens, as well as dollops of passionate sex.

While the tone of the series is light-hearted, Greenwood doesn’t shy from controversial subjects, such as spousal abuse, sex slavery and corruption. Regardless, I look forward to a summer of escapist reading, enjoying the many delights of Miss Phryne Fisher.

2022-04-02

April 2022 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in Mexico

It’s Easter, and that means Manzanillo goes nuts.

Every year, about 100,000 Chilangos make the annual pilgrimage from Mexico City to our sunbaked shores in order to bathe in the restorative waters of the Pacific Ocean.

They also bathe in gallons of tequila to restore the spirits.

Manzanillo begins preparations well in advance of their arrival. The road through Miramar beach is closed to prevent tourists from denting bumpers.

Every Oxxo and Kiosko stocks a trailer of beer in the parking lot.

To deter drunk driving, the police place car wrecks (complete with ketchup-splattered dummies), on prominent traffic routes.

The churches probably decorate with Easter eggs, but I’ve never met anyone who actually went to one.

Most expats wisely flee, but for those of us who stay, Felices Pascuas!

Movie Review

CODA

Streaming on Amazon Prime

The winner of Best Picture at the Oscars caught everyone by surprise – I personally thought Power of the Dog was a shoe-in.

But it turns out that the feel-good movie about a deaf family won enough hearts to boost it into victory.

The acronym CODA stands for child of deaf adults. Ruby, the only hearing person in a deaf family, dreams about graduating from high school and attending college. But the family fishing business needs her help to keep afloat.

Her father Frank (played by Troy Kostur, winner of Best Actor), and mother Jackie (Marlee Matlin, the first deaf actor to win an Oscar), need Ruby to act as an interpreter between them and the world of the hearing.

Ruby, meanwhile, is inspired by choir teacher Bernardo (played very flamboyantly by Mexican comedian Eugenio Derbez), who introduces her to the opportunities that her naturally-talented voice offers.

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, but most of all, you’ll enjoy the warm-hearted tale of a family striving to succeed against all odds. I highly recommend CODA!

My latest historical novel now available on Amazon!

“A real page-turner!”

Amazon five-star review

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years. The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent.

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family.

The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his trust and affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

Recipe: Fish & Chips

Fish & chips have a bad rep as greasy junk food. But if you make them yourself, you can use healthy ingredients that are low in unsaturated fats and loaded with high-quality protein!

We go to the fish shop in Santiago to get Dorado caught that morning, but La Comer also has an excellent selection of white fish.

Ingredients

1 lb of white fish

2 large potatoes, unpeeled.

1-2 cups of virgin olive oil

1 egg

1 cup of Panko or bread crumbs

Salt to taste

Instructions

Cut the potatoes into fries roughly the thickness of your pinky finger. Place on paper towels for half an hour to soak up moisture.

Cut the fish into pieces approximately 1-in thick and 5-in long. Dip in beaten egg and coat with Panko.

Heat the oil in a Dutch oven or large frying pan until it begins to smoke slightly.

Carefully add the chips and let them cook for five minutes before flipping over and cooking for another five. You’ll know when they’re done when they take on a light brown hue and get crispy. Scoop out with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with a paper towel. Sprinkle with sea salt.

Add the fish to the oil. Cook for two minutes, then turn over and cook for another two minutes. Scoop out with a slotted spoon into a bowl lined with a paper towel.

Serve with ketchup and fish sauce. Enjoy!

Book Review

The Diamond Eye

By Kate Quinn

Quinn is the author of several excellent World War II historical novels, including The Rose Code and The Huntress. Her tales are gripping sagas of women fighting to defeat the Nazis, risking their lives and the people they love.

The Diamond Eye is based on the true story of Lyudmila Pavlichenko (Mila), a shy history student from Kyiv in the Ukraine who becomes a soldier in the Soviet Army after the Germans invade. High Command soon recognizes her natural gift with rifles, and she is assigned sniper duties, eventually killing over 300 enemy soldiers.

When the Soviet Union goes looking for assistance from the United States, Mila is sent with an official delegation to Washington to meet President Roosevelt. She becomes entangled in an assassination plot, however, and her skills are put to the test in an effort to thwart the killer.

As in all her books, the author supplies exciting, non-stop narrative that makes it a great page-turner. I highly recommend The Diamond Eye!

A Monarch butterfly rests on a flower, Monday, Sept. 17, 2018, in Urbandale, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)

February 2022 Newsletter

by Newsletter

Life in Mexico

We finally made it to the Monarch butterfly sanctuary!

There are five sanctuaries spread across the states of Michoacán and Mexico; Rosario, Chincua, Cerro Pelon, Herradura, and La Mesa.

The butterflies rest in Mexico from November to March, then begin a 10,000 km journey every spring to North America and back. The trek takes several generations, yet they unerringly return to their winter home year after year. (Nobody knows how long they’ve been making the journey, but butterflies date back 200 million years, to the age of dinosaurs).

Visiting the sanctuaries is a day-long trip. Along with our friends Victor and Wilma, we rented an apartment in the historic centre of Morelia for a week, then picked a day to visit the Chincua sanctuary (the butterflies need sun and heat to venture forth).

It took just under three hours to drive to the sanctuary, then another hour to hike through a pine forest. When we reached their enclave just past noon, the air was filled with a swirling carpet of orange and black as they flitted from tree to tree.

I know, driving halfway across Mexico in order to look at bugs for half an hour might sound extreme, but the trip was worth it.

I want to thank the friendly people of Michoacán for their hospitality, as well as the volunteers across North America who care for the welfare of the Monarchs. Visiting the sanctuary was a magical, mystical experience that I cannot recommend highly enough.

TV Series Review

The Dinner Club

Streaming on Amazon Prime

This is a six-part, food-porn series featuring a Michelin-starred chef who accompanies famous actors around Italy as they explore local cuisines and generally crack themselves up with insults and practical jokes.

Carlo Cracco owns Cracco’s in Milan, considered one of the fifty-best restaurants in the world. He is known for his culinary originality as well as wit and charm in several culinary-themed series, including Hell’s Kitchen Italia.

The Dinner Club is his latest foray into television, featuring six friends who are also actors and comedians. Unless you’re Italian, you won’t have any idea who they are (I certainly didn’t’), but they are all tremendously entertaining as Carlo leads them around Sicily, the Po valley and Tuscany. They sample local cuisines, then return to Carlo’s home where each in turn cooks a special meal.

While the fact that the series is totally in Italian (with subtitles) may turn some people off, I urge you to give it a try. I found it delightfully-addictive watching due to the tremendous amount of fun they all have while eating, drinking and enjoying one another’s company.

My latest novel is now available on amazon!

“A great page-turner!”

Amazon 5-star review

The year is 1944. Paris has been under German occupation for four years. The French Resistance knows that an Allied invasion is imminent.

Veronique Grenelle is growing up in an impoverished inner-city neighborhood, scrambling to feed herself and her family.

The Resistance recruits the vivacious young woman to befriend Lieutenant Gunther von Clause, an aide-de-camp to the German Army’s Military Governor. She gradually gains his trust and affection.

James Gallagher, a lieutenant in the US Army’s Military Intelligence unit, frequently parachutes behind enemy lines to deliver funds and instructions to the Resistance. He meets and befriends Veronique, who falls madly in love with the dashing American officer.

D-Day approaches, and Veronique finds herself in a bind; should she pursue her heart or her duty? In the end, her decision will not only determine the fate of Paris, it will reverberate down through her family for generations to come.

Book Review

Eight Hundred Grapes

By Laura Dave

If you enjoy the work of Elin Hilderbrand, the queen of the summer read, then you’ll love Laura Dave’s writing. Most of her books begin with a spunky young woman who turns her life into a complete dumpster fire, then climbs out of the mess for a happy ending.

Eight Hundred Grapes features bride-to-be Georgia Ford who discovers the week before her wedding that her hunky British fiancé has a secret; a four-year old daughter by a famous actress who he never got around to mentioning. She immediately leaps into her car and races back to Sonoma County where her family owns a vineyard.

She quickly discovers that all is not well in paradise. Dad is seriously depressed, mom has taken up with a new lover and her twin brothers are going bananas. Not only does she have to sort out her own mess, but act as priest, therapist and dominatrix to her own family.

Dave has a great talent for creating quirky, charming characters and a frantic pace of twists and turns that make her books impossible to put down. Several of her works are in the process of being made into movies by Reese Witherspoon, but I highly recommend reading the originals!

Recipe: Keftedes & Tzatziki Sauce

These Greek lamb meatballs are easy to make and taste great! Use them as appetizers or load them into pitas (or flour tortillas) along with chopped tomatoes and lettuce to make a great meal!

MEATBALLS

Ingredients

1 lb ground lamb (you can also use ground beef)

1/2 red onion, grated

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tsp dried oregano

2 Tsp fresh mint, chopped

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp cardamom,

1/2 a cup breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 Tsp olive oil

¼ cup of chopped feta cheese

1 tsp salt

freshly ground pepper

Add all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Cover the bowl with some plastic wrap and let it rest in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.

Roll the mixture into balls, the size of a walnut.

To fry, use a large, deep skillet and pour in olive oil to a depth of 1/2 an inch. Heat the oil to medium-high. Add the lamb meatballs in batches in a single layer and fry for about 7 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned and crisp on all sides.

To bake, preheat the oven at 400F, place the lamb meatballs on greased baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake for about 20 minutes, turning the meatballs upside down midway through cooking time.

TZATZIKI SAUCE

Ingredients

½ cup finely grated cucumber

1 cup thick whole milk Greek yogurt

1 Tsp lemon juice

½ tsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, grated

¼ tsp sea salt

1 tsp chopped dill

1 tsp chopped mint, optional

Instructions

Place the cucumber on a towel and gently squeeze out a bit of the excess water.

In a medium bowl, combine the cucumber, yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, dill, and mint, if using. Chill until ready to use.

Assembling the meal.

If available, you can use pita breads, but I find flour tortillas work great! Place a layer of tzatziki on the bread and then add meatballs, shredded lettuce and tomatoes. Enjoy (and keep plenty of napkins handy).

Film Review

RESPECT

This is a biopic of Aretha Franklin, singer, civil rights activist and actor, who dominated R&B and soul for much of the 20th century.

The lead role is played by Jennifer Hudson, herself an accomplished actor and singer who not only won an Oscar but performed at President Barack Obama’s inauguration.

Biopics can sometimes drag on a bit, trying to be faithful to the actual life of its subject, but director Liesl Tommy spends a great deal of time following the artistic maturation of Aretha as she evolved from a gospel singer to R&B, soul and pop. The fact that she is portrayed by an incredibly accomplished singer makes the depiction of her life that much more authentic.

Aretha had a troubled life, being raped and bearing a child at the age of 12 and then later struggling with alcohol, but the movie doesn’t shirk in its honest portrayal of her struggles, avoiding the hagiography that often mars biographies. It is an enjoyable, musical movie that I highly recommend you watch!