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Cozy Mystery Spinoffs: Beyond Paradise and Frankie Drake Mysteries

19 Jun

Beyond Paradise
One of the favorites of library staff and patrons when it comes to cozy mysteries has been Death in Paradise where a variety of fish out of water UK detectives take on the detective inspector position at an imaginary Caribbean Island, Saint Marie. A fan favorite was DI Humphrey Goodman who left the island to be with his fiancée, Martha. Now in the 2023 spinoff, Beyond Paradise, we find out what they have been up to as the couple leave London to start a new life on the Devon coast, where Martha grew up. Humphrey takes up the vacant position of Detective Inspector at Shipton Abbott police station while Martha opens up a café focused on serving local produce and products. Although less tropical, the town still parallels the other series with its charming seaside visuals, in this case filmed in several Cornish towns. The first season is a bingeworthy 6 episodes, clocking in at just over 5 hours. You don’t have to have watched Death in Paradise to enjoy Beyond Paradise, but if you enjoy the show and haven’t watched the original, it is definitely worth checking out. Both shows are available to stream from Kanopy.

Frankie Drake Mysteries
Another popular long running cozy mystery series is Murdoch Mysteries which is set around a 1895 police station in Canada. This series spun off the Frankie Drake Mysteries set in the 1920’s, though in this case older versions of the Murdoch Mystery characters like George Crabtree make guest appearances in the new show rather than having them be a central focus, which instead is on an all female detective agency. Lauren Lee Smith plays the lead character with Chantel Riley as Trudy Clarke, Frankie’s partner and bff. My two favorites though are Rebecca Liddiard as Mary Shaw a morality officer from the Toronto’s police department who often manages to sneak herself into murder cases and Sharron Matthews who plays Flo Chakowitz, a morgue attendant. The series ran for four years (41 episodes). It is a charming mix of mystery, humor and history.

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Alien Royalty on the Run: Vagrant Queen and Class

18 Oct

The Bezoar of Kings (Vagrant Queen Dramatized Adaptation)
I became a huge fan of Vagrant Queen when the graphic novel was adapted as a TV Show on the Sy-Fy network it had a great diverse cast, a sweet slow burn love story, and lots of campy fun (there was even an episode based on the movie Clue). Unfortunately it only lasted for one terrific season. But whether you are missing the TV show or are new to Vagrant Queen, if you are fan of Space Operas you will want to take a listen to The Bezoar of Kings, a dramatized adaptation (with music and sound effects) of Vagrant Queen (think a movie with out the images or an updated version of radio dramas). The story centers around kind hearted scavenger Elida who has been on the run since the age of ten when her powerful royal family was overthrown. When she learns about her mother’s location she returns to the kingdom she never thought she’d see again, but the reunion doesn’t go as planned. You can also check out A Planet Called Doom a dramatized adaptation of the second graphic novel in the series.

Class (from the Universe of Doctor Who)
Class is the 2016 Young Adult spinoff of Doctor Who which features a brief cameo of the Doctor in his current visage at the time (Peter Capaldi). I’ve streamed the first three episodes which include “For Tonight We Might Die,” where the alien/monster drama begins when a battle erupts during a school dance where two alien refugees, the last of their people, including a Prince are revealed with devastating results; “The Coach with a Dragon Tattoo” about a dragon seeking vengeance; and “Nightvisiting” about an alien who can appear as loved ones who have passed away. The creatures and situations are used as metaphors or allegories for issues teens frequently experience. Although mostly focusing on the teens, my favorite character of the show is Katherine Kelly as Miss Quill, a snarky alien royal bodyguard disguised as a Physics teacher. As a fan of Doctor Who, I was curious to check out the show, but if you have not watched Dr Who, you still can get immersed into this new series. I also enjoyed it because it reminded me of Buffy, another favorite show from my 20’s, since the students at Coal Hill Academy go to school located in the Science Fiction equivalent of a Hellmouth due to thinning of space and time, which brings all sorts of alien creatures to them which they must battle (the school has previously appeared in episodes of Doctor Who since the 1960’s).

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager


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