See How They Run

 

See How They Run, 2022, directed by Tom George and written by Mark Chappell, stars Sam Rockwell as Detective Stoppard and Saoirse Ronan as Constable Stalker. This parody of the murder mystery genre is actually funny. We've recently watched A Haunting in Venice (2023), and Murder on the Orient Express (2017); within the past year we also saw Knives Out and its forgettable sequel. I would rather rewatch See How They Run than any of those others. It has been too long since I saw Death on the Nile (2022) (which I enjoyed tremendously) for me to include that one in my comparison.

See takes place in the 1950s with a murder after the party celebrating the 100th performance of Agatha Christie's "The Mouse Trap." All the theater people as well as those connected with the possible movie based on the play are suspects. There's a certain predictability to events and to the humor--it is a parody of a formulaic genre, after all--and the ultimate callback is all the more satisfying for it. There are sufficient twists to keep one wondering. Even though I had guessed who the murderer was near the beginning, there were enough developments along the way to make me question my confidence on the selection. My guess was based on what I know about the genre, rather than any clues given to that point. 

Rockwell, better known to me as Guy Fleegman from Galaxy Quest, plays a subdued, perhaps depressed, Inspector Stoppard in stark contrast to the excitable and overconfident Constable Stalker played by Saoirse. She's worried about the sergeant's exam. He's concerned that she jumps to conclusions. Naturally, more murders follow the first and motives multiply. The execution of reveal subverted expectations and seemed like a subtle nod to Clue without the confusing nonsense. I give it 5 out of 5 spiral notepads.

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I note that the first three books in the Tomahawks and Dragon Fire Series are only 99 cents each through the end of the year. Get them now, or use your Christmas loot to add them to your library. It is the first trilogy of the series, forming a single fantastic story arc. The paperbacks make great gifts too.

These are my short stories published this year:

"Monica on my Mind" actually came out in 2023 in PinUp Noir 2.

"A Matter of Letters" came out this year in Wyrd West.

"Freedom on Wheels" came out in Road Trippin'.

"Letters in the Mail" came out in Wyrd West Cursed Canyon.

"Love under a Purple Sky" came out in Space Cowboys 6 Fission Chips.

"Tokens of Moonlight and Mist" is in Cirsova Magazine #21 - although it was the first short story I sold, it is the last one published this year.

Cirsova Magazine also recently purchased my short story "Drown Melancholy" for publication in the fall of 2025.

Smoke is on sale, along with many other good tales - find it in this multi-genre sale 

Merry Christmas! - Remember, 5 star reviews are great Christmas gifts for writers.