“Lafayette, we are here”

 When Colonel Charles Stanton uttered these words in Paris on July 4, 1917, he was paying homage to the Marquise de Lafayette. Lafayette had helped win independence for the 13 colonies that would become America. Twenty seven years later, on June 6, 1944, D day,  American soldiers once again repaid that debt on the beaches of Normandy. We must never forget their sacrifices. And yet a convicted felon who is running for President of the United States has called those who died there “losers.” Sir,  have you no shame?

The Miracle Club

 The Miracle Club is a strange movie. It starts out as a pilgrimage story following four women from Ireland, who for various reasons decide to go to the shrine at Lourdes in France. There is considerable animosity between two of the women and the character-played by Laura Linney. As the story unfolds, the reasons become clear.

The other two characters are played by Kathie Bates and Maggie Smith in a role far removed from the role of Lady Crawley on  Downton Abbey.

Remarkably, the plot ends up with a discution of abortion.

The acting is superb as might be expected with the all star cast. But the cast alone cannot save the movie.. I rate it as C.

The Quick Critic

Marlowe

 I recently watched the movie Marlowe. The movie stars Liam Neeson as the private detective, Philip Marlowe. Set in 1939: Neeson’s character is hired to find a missing man. That is the MacGuffin.  There’s even a MacGuffin within.the MacGuffin. Unfortunately, Neeson is too old for the role of the fist fighting,  machine gun toting detective. At least twice in the movie, the two love interests acknowledge that. One of those is played by Jessica Lange, who is superb as the Gloria Swanson like character.

It’s not a bad movie, the sets are perfect and the supporting cast set the right tone. It’s on Netflix. I rate it C+

The Quick Critic

My Books

 If you have some extra time off work and need to find a new book to read,consider buying one of my four mystery novels, Dead in the Water, A Reservation for Murder, The China Connection and A Rainy Night in Georgia. To some degree these books predicted the onslaught of  illegal drugs from China.

All of the books have excellent editorial reviews on Amazon and are available for purchase there and the Barnes and Noble wcbsite.  I think you will be surprised how prescient they were

Happy New Year🎇

HIIT CAN LET YOU LIVE LONGER

 Anybody who reads this blog even casually knows that I am a great fan of HIIT fitness training. That refers to High Itensity Interval Training, which refers to a method of training in which you exercise very hard for a very short burst followed by a much longer recovery period. This regimen is then repeated just for a few minutes. It has been determined that the bursts of intense exercise such as cycling for as little two seconds (yes, you read that right) can be enough to enjoy the benefits of HIIT, including a longer life span.

The Drug Crisis in America—The China Connection?

 I was recently watching a news program during which the guests debated the role of China for our drug crisis. Way back in 2015 when I published my first Lt. Morales novel, Dead in the Water (a Number 1 free Amazon best-seller), I began pointing to the Chinese involvement in  the illegal drug trade that was beginning to sweep our country. My subsequent novel, The China Connection, further brought the issue to the present. Although my books were fiction, more and more, my predictions seem to have been proven true. See for yourself. All of my books are available on Amazon and other retailers. See my website for more information. www.Ajbasinski.com

Mystery/Thrillers You’ll Love!

 I wanted to make you aware of my website, www.Ajbasinski.com, where you can find information about me and all my novels.