Whatcha Watching?

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: What are you watching? It seems like there was a big dearth of good stuff on TV for a while, but now, suddenly, so many fun things!

Pluribus, for one, from the same people who brought you Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, two iconic shows, a wonderful thought-provoking speculative fiction which I think is about AI. In a way. But mostly about the necessity for individual thought, and would you trade your individuality if you could 1.Know everything and 2. Be happy. It stars Rhea Seahorn as a writer, and in episode one, writer alert, there is a scene at a Barnes & Noble signing that will live in infamy. I love love love the show.

Also, another writer show, The Beast in Me. With Clare Danes as a writer who is looking for a good topic, and Matthew Rhys as…the possible topic. It is, I think, about the unrelenting urge for a best selling novel, and how far you would go to get one. How much of your moral compass do you give up to write something that would be a blockbuster? And does that desire warp your objectivity?

And did you see The House of Dynamite? I absolutely adored it, kind of a doomsday thriller, but many people did not. We cannot discuss it here, because the way it ends is so incredibly controversial. If you have just seen it, tell me, and we can talk off stage.


We’re also watching Invasion, which is surprisingly great. And beginning to watch the Ken Burns documentary on the American Revolution. And even The Rainmaker, which I fear is so dumb, but I love lawyer shows, so we are watching. And I cannot wait for the Lincoln Lawyer to come back!


I know there’s something I’m missing – – maybe you will let me know! (We generally only watch one episode of something a night, so it takes us a while!)


HALLIE EPHRON: I’m watching “The Diplomat” on Netflix and enjoying it quite a bit. And of course, just finished the latest Great British Baking Show… The winner this time so fabulous and every one of the bakers is awe inspiring.

I missed The Lincoln Lawyer (loved the books) so far so I’ll have to catch up on that. I’m watching Ballard on Amazon Prime (also by Connolly) and Keri Russell is superb but intense. I need to take it in bite sized chunks.

DEBORAH CROMBIE: We just finished THE DIPLOMAT a couple of nights ago. I loved Adrian Turner as a new addition to the cast, but don’t dare say anything more! And we finished THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW as well. I am so sad that it’s over and we no longer have it to look forward to on Friday nights. Such a great season and all the finalists were terrific.

We’ve been watching Graham Norton on Acorn, such fun. Acorn has the full episodes, not just the “best bits” that they show on Netflix. I also don’t know that Netflix is showing any of those from the new season.

We’re hunting for a new series, but I think I’d really like to catch up on some movies. Suggestions welcome!

RHYS BOWEN: like Hallie I am missing Great British Baking show. We’ve been watching the new Maigret. But prefer Rowan Atkinson in the role a few years ago.

Waiting for the next Luther!

LUCY BURDETTE: I’m so lame lame lame on this topic. Still plugging through NYPD Blue, and watching the PBS newshour as much as I can stand! John is pleased about the new season of Blue Lights, and he’s also started the Ken Burns Documentary. We may dabble in Pluribus, Hank…

JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I’ll join Lucy in being the non-watcher this time around. Not so much because there’s a dearth of good stuff streaming, but because we’re in the season where I keep the rest of the house cold and snuggle close to the wood stove in the kitchen. (When the outdoor temps get seriously cold, the furnace goes ON and my TV room is toasty again.)

That being said, I started The American Revolution documentary while on the road for book tour and am finding it absolutely fascinating. It reminds me that I’ve missed several Ken Burns documentaries from recent years, and now I want to catch up!

JENN MCKINLAY: Hub and I just finished The Diplomat - loved it. We’re now watching Nobody Wants This - hilarious! Like Hank and Jonathan, we watch one episode a night so it takes us awhile, too. On my own, I just finished the K-Drama The Potato Lab - Adorbs!

HANK: Yes, yes, The Diplomat. Brilliant! And it felt to me that the writers had a plan, you know? That they knew exactly where they were going. Although I had NO idea, and was in awe.

And earlier this week, Catriona mentioned the Great British Sewing Bee. I looked it up, and it is on the BBC. Cannot wait to see it!

How about you, Reds and Readers? What’s on YOUR screen?  

ALSO! So wonderful to see so many of you yesterday! It was actually..inspirational. Truly! And at one point, the blogging software stopped me from responding to any more of your comments, and even stopped my from entering my own! I guess it thought I was a bot.

But since I am NOT a bot, I will try again today!

And you can be sure, even if I was not "allowed" to respond, I read every single one of your wonderful comments..and I am still floating!

Who are YOU??

 HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Goes without saying--any yet, here I am saying it--that all of us Reds come to the blog every day, and we all read all of your comments, and it's just--incredible. So much fun! And such a unique and gorgeous community.

We adore those of you who have been here from the start, and those who have gathered in along the way, and the new people who find us each week. So wonderful and were are incredibly grateful.

But--who are you?

The other day, after my interview with the incredible David Baldacci (OOH!)  a woman came up to me and told me how much she looked forward to Jungle Red every day.  I was so delighted! 

And I said--so great to see you! But I don't think I've seen your name. do you ever comment?  And she said no, I just lurk.

So today, lurkers, come out!  And everyone else, too.

Tell us who you are, and where you are, and the book you are reading right now. (Just one!) 

I'm Hank Phillippi Ryan, I live near Boston, and I am reading THE REAL THING by Nicholas Meyer.

Just like that!

Let's see how many people will show up today. 

IF you have never commented before, hurray! Just click on the thing that says comments. If you can't figure out how to have it post your name and photo, that's fine-- just tell us in the comment!

Ready? GO!

When History Rhymes

HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: Wow, we have such a treat for you today! Introducing, or re-introducing, the fabulous duo of Deb Well and Gabriel Valjan. Deb is a wonderful author, and an editor at Level Best Books. And Gabriel is a multi-award-winning and much acclaimed author. They are a duo and a team on every level.

And today, grab your own cup of coffee or tea and join them at the breakfast table. They have the most interesting conversations!

When History Rhymes

By Deb Well and Gabriel Valjan

When the CIA targeted Tehran in 1953, it changed the world. In Eyes to Deceit, Gabriel Valjan brings that tense, shadowy moment to life, following writer/agent Walker from Malibu to Rome, while a Holocaust survivor navigates the Catskills in pursuit of a crucial key to success. Today, Valjan talks with Level Best Books editor of Celluloid Crimes Deb Well, about the motivation behind his recent fiction, the women in his novel, and the history we often overlook—but should not forget.

DW: You have a new book out this month in your Company Files series, taking your reticent Walker from Malibu to Rome, while Holocaust survivor Sheldon visits the Catskills to work an asset in exchange for the names of Nazis who escaped justice. Tell us about Eyes to Deceit and why you chose the 1953 Iranian coup as your focus.

GV: Mark Twain said, “History doesn’t repeat itself, but it often rhymes.” History is stranger than fiction—but poorly taught. The Coup of ’53 fascinated me because its consequences still ripple today. Allen W. Dulles emerged as the master architect of realpolitik, shaping moves that echoed for decades.

The novel shows more than strategy—it shows people. Betrayals, moral compromises, personal tensions—these made Operation AJAX more than a footnote, and they didn’t stay in Tehran; they shaped CIA policy in other foreign interferences and led, eventually, to the Iranian Hostage Crisis in 1979.

DW: Your books feature strong women navigating a male-dominated world. How did you make that feel authentic without losing edge?

GV: Three women stand out in Eyes. Leslie, formerly MI6, now CIA, was blocked after the war—she refuses to settle into domestic life. Tania mirrors her: brilliant, multilingual, but scarred by trauma, awkward socially. Then there’s Clare Boothe Luce, the first U.S. ambassador to Italy—outspoken, audacious, brilliant.

They’re true to their era but fully alive, capable, uncompromising. They bend but don’t break. In a world built to sideline them, their choices carry consequences.

DW: You clearly did extensive research. Were there any unexpected discoveries and challenges?

GV: Writing the Catskills required delicacy. I worried readers would think of Dirty Dancing, but these resorts were a refuge, an oasis of culture—an escape from antisemitism in the cities. That history deserved respect.

Allen Dulles was trickier. Immense power, almost mythic. After Bay of Pigs, JFK fired him—but he showed up at work the next day as if nothing had happened. He later helped staff the Warren Commission. Capturing the chess master at play and that authority without caricature were monumental challenges.

DW: Both your Company Files and Shane Cleary series are historical. What draws you to the past as a setting?

GV: The past frees me from technology and lets me focus on human behavior. Nuance mattered then. A woman could be judged for her gloves, a curse word, or a public misstep. A Black maid might keep two sets of shoes—one for work, one for home. These small details shape stakes, reveal character, heighten tension.

Since we’re talking nuance, let’s pivot to Celluloid Crimes. You edited this anthology. When arranging the stories, how did you think about pacing readers or sequencing authors? Did you aim for rising tension, tonal variation, or something else?

DW: In choosing the stories for this anthology, the two things they all had in common were a strong voice and a tonal aspect of what I call “Hollywood Noir. When I reviewed all the stories I had chosen, I was surprised that they were almost evenly split between male and female narrators/protagonists. So I immediately thought it would be great to alternate the stories between male and female voices. Additionally, when I first read Colin Campbell’s story, Picture Palace Blues, I knew I wanted it to be the anchor – or last story of the collection. Since it was the only one set in contemporary times, ordering the stories in a loose chronology from the 20s till today made sense.

GV: I love that your anthology captures something from each decade. For you, what makes a story irresistible—compelling characters, a twisty plot, or a unique use of language?

DW: As I mention in the Afterword, I look for strong voice and a story – no “sketch” or “vignette”. And the ending must be satisfying. So a twisty plot is nice – but only if it makes sense. Compelling characters are important to me. But it’s that unique voice – that’s what makes a story – or a novel, for that matter – something I can’t put down – and that I will recommend to everyone I know that they have to read.

Back to Eyes to Deceit: what’s next for both your series?

GV: The fifth Company Files novel, The Nameless Lie, dives into the Suez Canal Crisis. Shane Cleary six, Four on the Floor, draws on Boston’s Blackfriars Massacre. Both explore the human cost of history—the ways small choices cascade into global consequences.

DW: One last question. If a reader takes only one thing from Eyes to Deceit, what would you want it to be?

GV: That history isn’t abstract. It’s felt, lived, sometimes hidden in plain sight. Fiction can’t fix it—but it can remind us what it felt like—and why those choices still matter today.

Reds and Readers! In both history and fiction, secrets drive the story. Which secret from history would you most want to uncover?


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN: OH, what a great question. What happened to the lost colony of Roanoke? What’s the real deal about Amelia Earhart? (Cannot wait to read that new book.) What really happened in the Cuban Missile crisis? I know you all will have many more…

Deborah Well is an editor, marketing consultant, and digital strategist. After working for several decades in the finance realm, she has been happy to see her English degree get put to good use in her “retirement career” in the publishing world. Deb lives in Boston’s South End with her partner, author Gabriel Valjan.

Gabriel Valjan is the author of The Company Files, and the Shane Cleary Mysteries with Level Best Books. He has been nominated for the Agatha, Anthony, Derringer, and Silver Falchion awards. He received the 2021 Macavity Award for Best Short Story, and the Shamus Award for Best PI in 2023. Gabriel is a member of the Historical Novel Society, ITW, MWA, and Sisters in Crime. He lives in Boston with his partner, Deb Well.

And both answer to a their much-memed tuxedo cat, Munchkin.