COMPARISONS are inevitable when books are transported from page to screen. Especially between the leading characters as they are read and as they are seen. An author’s descriptions enable us to build our personal bank of images as we move through the chapters. Fleshing out the bare bones we are given at the start until we have a fully formed person in time for the grand finale. But if the character is later viewed in a screen adaptation of the book(s) there can be disappointment if their looks and mannerisms fail to match that mental picture we have created. Which… Continue reading

BOOK covers sometimes go overboard in trying to entice readers to buy. The Dinner Guest by BP Walter is an excellent example. It should carry a “spoiler alert“ sticker. Before opening a single page we are told “four people walked into the dining room that night, one would never leave”. Synopsis complete. Not much more to say. End of story, almost. For those needing more enticement, it does reveal that the dinner of the title “ends in death” and there was “a stranger at the table”. Although this is being somewhat lax with the truth as all four diners are quite… Continue reading