No Spoilers Here
I’m sure that, like me, some of you have been bingeing on series on TV over the holidays - the weather was
so awful that it was the best option much of the time. As usual there was a plethora of offerings available on a variety of platforms as well as a vast back catalogue available to download. Sometimes too much choice is not a good thing!
Agatha Christie adaptations are always a good bet for me – and this year we had Murder is Easy – no sign of Miss Marple or Poirot in this, though there is a cameo appearance of Inspector Battle near the end of the story. Instead, this story features a new character in the form of Luke Fitzwilliam – a retired police detective from India who comes across Lavinia Pinkerton on a train journey - she is on her way to Scotland Yard to report her suspicions about a possible serial killer in the quiet country village where she lives. When he later hears that she has been killed he decides to investigate her story himself. The TV adaptation is good – bringing to life the olde world country life that we expect from an Agatha Christie but as ever it sends me back to the original novel to read the story for myself. There is a familiarity in the style, the language and the plot which makes all the Christie books a delight to wallow in – though I daresay some would disagree.
Fool Me Once by Halan Coben has also just been released as a TV series – and is as addictive a watch as it is a read. Maya is devastated after the brutal killing of her husband only to be shocked two weeks after his murder, seeing him play with their two year old on the NannyCam while she is at work. As the thrilling story unfolds she uncovers secrets from the past and is forced to face things from her own past which she would have preferred to keep hidden. No spoilers here though!
It deviates a bit from the novel – something I find confusing and frustrating at times, given that the author has created something out of nothing only to have it altered to fit a different medium, but I suppose that is the point. The experience of reading a novel is a world apart from watching a screen. The series is very well 
produced and extremely bingeworthy – but why not then read the book as well to compare – and let me know what you think (email me on justjillian@librariesni.org.uk)
One of the values of making novels into series for the small screen is that lesser known authors can benefit from the exposure with their stories being given a new lease of life. 
Mick Herron’s Slough House series about MI5 operatives who have been sidelined -but not sacked – is a case in point with the series (entitled Slow Horses which is the first book in the series and in which stars Gary Oldman) gaining acclaim on the small screen. Kate Atkinson’s detective series featuring Jackson Brodie also benefited from being made into a TV series a few years ago.
I would love to see Steve Cavanagh’s character of Eddie Flynn made into either a film or TV series -I think it would make riveting viewing with the mix of court room drama and thrilling action – but just as long as they stick closely to the story and cast the lead role wisely. Ryan Gosling has been mentioned by the author as his ideal actor to play the role – but I visualise Eddie as slightly more rugged than that. Any thoughts anyone?
As we move into a New Year I am determined to find new authors through what ever means and to continue to read my way through the year. This seems like a New Year resolution that I may actually be able to keep 😊
Links to books on the Libraries NI catalogue:
Murder is easy / Agatha Christie
The Accomplice / Steve Cavanagh
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