Latest news with #detective
CNET
4 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNET
I Live in the City Where Netflix's Thrilling New Crime Drama Is Set. I Barely Recognize It
Any well-reviewed crime drama that draws numerous comparisons to Apple TV's brilliant Slow Horses will easily earn a place on my to-watch list, but as soon as Dept. Q hit Netflix last week, I hit play without hesitation. The reason I was in such a hurry to dive in is that I live in Edinburgh -- the city where the new detective show is set. Edinburgh is often used as a filming location, but most of the time it simply provides a picturesque and/or historical backdrop for a TV show or film -- it's more about the aesthetic effect rather than playing a pivotal role in the plot. Dept. Q is different. Jaded detective Carl Morck, played by a grizzled Matthew Goode, who is recovering from a shooting that killed one police officer, nearly killed him and paralysed his partner on a call-out, has been tasked with running a new department delving into Edinburgh's cold cases. The case that Goode picks out, along with the circumstances surrounding his shooting, has complex, knotty links to Edinburgh's justice system and criminal underworld. Here, the city provides more than just a pretty skyline -- it's pulled into the foreground, with the key players moving between the grand courts on Edinburgh's famous Royal Mile and the grimier parts of the city that tourists never see. As someone who calls Edinburgh home, I'm more than familiar with the landmarks, but I don't recognize the side of the city I see in the show at all. That's not to say it's not accurate. Edinburgh Castle is obviously a familiar sight to me. Netflix Sure, Edinburgh isn't exactly a hotbed of violent crime compared with other cities in the UK and definitely compared with cities in the US. In the five years I've lived here, I can remember only one fatal shooting making the news. But I also fully acknowledge that the majority of organized crime is often hidden from the view of those not immersed in that world. Occasionally, violent incidents, police raids or trials spill over, sending ripples of anxiety through neighborhoods and cropping up in headlines. But artistic portrayals, while often exaggerated for dramatic effect, can expose us to versions of places that otherwise might remain hidden from view. As a city famed for its beauty, often thought of as genteel and rather sedate, it's interesting to see Edinburgh portrayed as a place that is so much more than the tourist ideal. Not since the 1996 film Trainspotting has a less romanticized vision of the city been seen on screen. Dept. Q even wasn't originally set in Edinburgh -- it's actually adapted from a Danish novel of the same name -- but as a resident, I appreciated the way it provided a different perspective on the place that I know and love. It was also fun to spot parts of town I'm intimately familiar with appear in a relatively high-production show -- the castle view from outside my favorite indie record store, for example. There are many flaws with Dept Q, from little niggles (what local journalist can afford to drive a Porsche?) to pacing issues -- especially in the first episode. The plot is so meaty that at times it becomes convoluted. But in spite of all of this, I found myself staying up past my bedtime to watch "just one more episode" -- as my husband and I would tell each other with a sideways glance, fully aware that we were succumbing to a full-on binge. Is it perfect? No. Am I already hankering after season 2? Absolutely. Am I hoping Edinburgh will loom even larger in future episodes? I'm asking nicely -- yes, please.
The Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Win a copy of Can You Solve The Murder? by Antony Johnston in this week's Fabulous book competition
IF you love a murder mystery and grew up reading choose-your-own-adventure novels, then grab a copy of this brilliant book. Step into a detective's shoes when you arrive at Elysium wellness retreat to find the body of a local businessman – and a host of suspects and motives! 1 10 lucky Fabulous readers will win a copy of this new novel in this week's book competition. To win a copy, enter using the form below by 11:59pm on June 14, 2025. For full terms and conditions, click here.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
2 NYPD cops paralyzed in line-of-duty crashes promoted to second-grade detectives: ‘I wasn't going to give up'
Two NYPD cops paralyzed during line-of-duty car crashes about two decades ago were promoted to second-grade detectives Friday – as one of the brave Finest declared, 'I wasn't going to give up.' Scot O. Abrams, 51, a 27-year NYPD veteran who suffered a spinal cord injury and a compound fracture to his left leg after a 2007 motorcycle crash – said he was determined to return to the job despite his life-altering injuries. Abrams received a standing ovation at One Police Plaza's auditorium as he was officially bumped up in rank – while his proud wife Tara, 51, and son Joshua, 19, looked on. 'It's long-awaited, you know,' Abrams exclusively told The Post after the ceremony. 'Just because I was hurt, I wasn't gonna stop being back to the job.' Abrams, who was assigned to Highway Patrol Unit 2 in Brooklyn, was heading on his motorcycle to a funeral procession when he was suddenly cut off, FOX 5 reported at the time. He lost control, slammed into a bus and was ejected from his ride. His injuries were so severe that he was given his last rites at the hospital, his wife told the network at the time. But on Friday, the detective said it's 'unbelievable' that he was able to overcome the nearly life-ending hurdle and continue to serve. 'It's the Marine in me,' Abrams said. 'My wife knew it from day one. I wasn't going to give up… I started to go to work and, you know, give a positive outlook for [others in] the police department.' '[I wanted to] show my son who was 14 months old when my incident happened — now he's 19 as a young man – never to give up and push through, to strive and dreams and goals will come to you,' he said. 'And in five years or so, he's going to be in blue standing right next to me,' Abrams added. Joshua – who is now enlisting in the Marine Corps and then plans to transition to the NYPD – welled up with tears as he reflected on his hero dad's perseverance. 'He's helped me become a respectable young man,' he said. 'He's helped me through a lot of hard obstacles in my life, and I just wouldn't know what I would do without him.' Another hero cop left paralyzed in the line of duty almost exactly 20 years ago also received a standing ovation as he was promoted to second-grade detective. Det. Thomas Mitchell was in a squad car heading to a robbery call in the Rockaways the early morning of May 26, 2005, when the cruiser slammed into a utility pole, according to a report at the time. Mitchell, who wasn't wearing his seatbelt, was paralyzed from the chest down and remains in a wheelchair today. Since the fateful crash, his goal is to help inspire and guide younger cops. 'For some reason [the 20 years] went by really fast,' Mitchell said. 'I've been going around giving speeches to other officers about what happens when you're not wearing a seat belt in a [police car].' 'I told them how my life is fine for one second and then it was completely changed,' he added. 'You gotta get to a job sometimes fast, but you gotta also arrive in one piece.' Mitchell's wife, Debra, 53, said her husband made a quick transition following the crash. 'He went from being a police officer that uses – 6-foot-2 guy — his physical prowess, and he turned to combining that with his heart and his mind and just being authentic,' Debra said. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch commended both hero cops at the ceremony. 'Scot and Thomas didn't stop working,' the top cop said. 'They didn't just focus on themselves when they had every single reason in the world to do so. They turned their injuries into purpose and continued to serve.' Detectives Endowment Association President Scott Munro also praised Abrams' and Mitchell's 'strength in the face of life-altering, line-of-duty injuries and their continued dedication to their fellow Finest and our city.' Tisch also applauded another promotee – the department's first third-generation Bomb Squad cop, Christopher B. Senft, who was raised in rank from officer to detective. His grandfather, retired Det. Anthony Senft, now 78, was wounded in 1982 while trying to help defuse an explosive placed at Manhattan's Federal Plaza by the infamous Puerto Rican terror group FALN. He received the Medal of Valor, the department's highest recognition. Christopher's father, Brian Senft, 55, also spent 14 years as a detective – the last five in the Bomb Squad. He has since retired from the NYPD and now works for Homeland Security. 'Both Anthony and Brian were Detective Shield number 160, passing from father to son, and today, that shield belongs to the newest Detective Senft,' Tisch said. Christopher's great-grandfather also had the same shield number, but in the Suffolk County Police Department, 'so it's technically the fourth generation of that number, but third generation in the NYPD,' Brian said. The youngest Senft detective said he always dreamed of continuing the NYPD legacy. 'Growing up my whole life, I always wanted to be a police officer,' Christopher said. 'That was always my only [goal] – I didn't know what else I would do besides that.' 'So I always knew that I was going to pursue this. Specifically the Bomb Squad, it was always like my second dream to get into this unit.' Meanwhile, the eldest Senft was filled with pride over his grandson's achievement. 'It's very, very emotional – to be alive, and then to see my son follow in my footsteps and achieve the things he did,' Anthony said. 'And now my grandson, I mean, the emotions are just running over at this point.' Christopher shares an 11-month-old daughter, Giada, with his wife, Gabriella, who works as a police officer in Queens' 111th Precinct. 'I'm extremely happy and very fortunate to be able to be here to see my grandchildren and my great granddaughter,' the eldest Senft added. 'You know, it's a wonderful thing because I'm getting up there in age. I'm very, very proud. It's a proud day for me.'
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
One of our finest writers of mystery and detection: The best Classic Crime novels out now - Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert, Silence After Dinner by Clifford Witting, Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie
Smallbone Deceased by Michael Gilbert (British Library £8.99, 272pp) A practicing lawyer who wrote his crime fiction on his daily commute into London, Michael Gilbert was at his peak when Smallbone Deceased was first published in 1950. The plot is tantalisingly bizarre. An eminently respectable firm of solicitors is thrown into disarray when a corpse is found stuffed into a deed box. With the police up against a conspiracy of silence, the challenge of solving the murder is met by the recently qualified Henry Bohun. The insomniac Henry occupies the twilight hours by uncovering financial chicanery. Gilbert stands as one of our finest writers of mystery and detection. For Smallbone Deceased, he is on top form. Silence After Dinner by Clifford Witting (Galileo £10.99, 244pp) An anonymous diarist writing at the time of the communist takeover in China confesses to a brutal murder. The scene then shifts to an English village, where the new rector has a missionary background in the Far East. Among those sharing the Chinese connection is his predecessor's wastrel son and a wandering hell-fire preacher who, knowing too much, ends up in a watery grave. The job of linking a rural outpost on the South Downs with a revolution on the other side of the world falls to the methodical Inspector Bradfield, who has to contend with small-minded bigotry in his hunt for a cold-hearted killer. Joining the growing contingent of rediscovered mystery writers from the 1950s, Clifford Witting weaves an enthralling story. If the love interest stretches credibility, the leading characters are convincingly portrayed. Dumb Witness by Agatha Christie (Harper Fiction £14.99, 256pp) Agatha Christie had a genius for ringing the changes on the traditional mystery formula. In Dumb Witness, reissued in a handsome hardback edition, Hercule Poirot receives a letter from an elderly lady who hints at an attempt on her life. Poirot is intrigued, not so much by the letter itself as by the fact that it was posted two months after the sender had died, apparently from natural causes. The indomitable detective intrudes on a family at war, having discovered that the wealthy spinster had left all her money to her irritatingly fussy companion. Was it the beneficiary of the will who had hurried the process or another of the household who had hoped for unjust deserts? To add to the complications, a boisterous terrier, the dumb witness, may have contributed to the death of his mistress.
Daily Mail
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Explosive plot twists make this noirish cold case thriller sizzle: CHRISTOPHER STEVENS reviews last night's TV
Dept Q (Netflix) Are you a fan of Gary Oldman in Slow Horses? You'll like Dept Q. Love the cold cases on Unforgotten? Give Dept Q a try. Enjoy Rebus? You'll be at home with Dept Q. There's not too much that's original about Netflix 's noirish new crime serial, starring Matthew Goode as a disillusioned detective in Edinburgh. DCI Carl Morck is brilliant but embittered and supercilious, a man with no friends left in the force after a botched investigation leaves a young PC dead and a senior colleague paralysed in hospital. Kelly MacDonald plays his bored shrink, so fed up of listening to middle-aged coppers talk (or refuse to talk) about their traumas that she eats her lunch and barely pretends to engage during their therapy sessions. Morck's boss (Kate Dickie) can't stand the sight of him. Losing patience with his insolence, she snaps, 'Do you ever stop and wonder why people hate you?' In a parallel storyline, the superb Chloe Pirrie plays a young barrister, Merritt Lingard, trying to keep her career alive while caring for her autistic brother, William (Tom Bulpett). She's also fending off a stalker who leaves threatening voicemail messages. When she tosses her phone into the sea, William gleefully throws his hat away too — then has a meltdown when he discovers he can't get it back. People stare in disapproval, and no one comes to Merritt's aid, even when William lashes out. It's a well-observed glimpse of the impossible challenges faced by families struggling to cope with adults who have non-verbal autism. All this bleakness is streaked with vivid slashes of humour. Morck shares his apartment with his teenage son and a lodger, who exist in a state of wordless warfare — one blasting out heavy metal, the other turning operatic arias up to maximum volume. The mixture of policework, existential despair and mordant comedy, as well as the Nordic names, betrays the source of the story. Danish novelist Jussi Adler-Olsen has sold more than 10 million copies of his Dept Q stories. This one is based on The Keeper Of Lost Causes, which was published in 2007. The 'lost causes' are the cases that police have shelved as unsolvable. When the Cabinet Office orders a few of the files must be reopened — because arrests over long-ago crimes make good headlines — Morck is put in charge, with a Syrian refugee called Akram (Alexej Manvelov) as his assistant. This gives his chief an excuse to banish him to an 'operations room' in the basement... with tiles on the floor and urinals on the wall. There's another echo of a classic police drama that anyone who watched The Wire will recognise. Despite all these well-worn elements, what makes Dept Q stand out is its explosive plot twists. There's one in the opening scene and they continue to detonate, upending expectations. The reveal that ties Merritt and William to Morck, which comes at the end of episode one, is devastating. No spoilers here.
