Sunday, April 3, 2022

A New Series to Binge Watch!

RHYS BOWEN:  One of the perks of being part of Jungle Red Writers is that people approach us, knowing our good visibility. Recently we have formed a delightful relationship with BRITBOX, who now sends us news on upcoming features that may interest our JRW followers.

Debs and I were given the heads up on a new series called MURDER IN PROVENCE. Of course with that title I'd have watched it even if the plots were awful. Who wouldn't want to spend a hour in Provence right now? But I did watch the first few episodes and ooh--it's really good. Appealing sleuths, fabulous scenery and plots that may not be the cleverest in the world but are suspenseful.

So the protagonists are a couple, probably late forties or early fifties: not married, but in a long term relationship. His title is judge but that translates more to something like detective chief inspector. A high rank with the police in Avignon.  She is a university professor of psychology who has been seconded to the police as a psychology specialist (and of course gets involved in investigating!)




They both come with back-story: she left an abusive husband. His wife committed suicide by jumping off a ferry. We are given tantalizing hints of both of these in the first episode.

The secondary characters are also delightful. His sidekick is a formidable but extremely likable black female detective. Her socialite mother is ever-critical and keeps pushing them toward marriage. They are both from good families with great connections which does help in investigations.

The dialog is witty and then there is the FOOD. And the WINE. They eat and drink a lot during the episode. 
And they drive through the Provencal countryside. When they went to Cassis I nearly wept. 

"They are in Cassis, look!" I moaned to John. Talk about living vicariously.

So give it a try (and if you haven't got Britbox yet, I highly recommend it. Whenever I'm stressed I relive the old Poirots and Miss Marples and silly comedies.

Here are the details:

Murder in Provence follows Antoine Verlaque (Roger Allam, Endeavour, The Thick of It), Investigating Judge in Aix-en Provence, and romantic partner Marine Bonnet (Nancy Carroll, The Crown, Father Brown) as they tackle the murders, mysteries and dark underbelly of their idyllic home. Their efforts are aided by Hélène (Keala Settle, The Greatest Showman), a detective and Antoine’s trusted confidante who brings her unique flair to the investigations. Each self-contained episode explores a new case with Verlaque and Bonnet's relationship serving as the core element that ties this decadent, escapist series together. 

Do let me know what you think! 

And I just got some more exciting news: Hugh Laurie is producing a new version of WHY DIDN'T THEY ASK EVANS? One of my favorite Agatha Christies so I hope they stick to the story and don't do fanciful things as they have done with some of the Miss Marples.


41 comments:

  1. This series sounds delightful . . . thanks for telling us about it.

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    1. I definately recommend doing news releases when you publish a book. Book releases is part of my marketing strategy along with gathering reviews and writing the next book. Waiting for bloggers to read my book and post a review is tiring. I used https://usbookreviews.com to gather reviews for my book and I am happy with the increase in reviews, sales and visibility.

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  2. This might be the push over the edge into BritBox that I needed!

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  3. Murder in Provence was delightful in every way! The food, the wine, the bistro, the countryside, with an excellent cast. We're now watching Candice Renoir on Acorn, set in the South of France, with subtitles. It's silly in some ways, but such a nice break from all the noir we've watched, including The Paradise, set on the Costa del Sol, with a Finnish/Spanish cast of characters. LOTS of subtitles.

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  4. I haven't been watching anything but notices of this show have been everywhere and I am tempted. The last series I watched was Reacher which faithfully followed the first Reacher book almost entirely. Thanks RHYS! I may put down a book and go watch TV.

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  5. The setup sounds just a bit like Kate Wilhelm's Constance and Charlie.

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  6. Isn't it a fun show? I've really been enjoying it, too. But does anyone else have an issue with this being a French venue, but with obviously British actors? I have trouble wrapping my head around that.

    There's an Australian show on Acorn that is also good, although with not much mystery. Among the Vines, also with charming scenery, food and wine, and a tricky relationship between the attractive protags.

    And the wonderful Good Karma Hospital is also back! I would watch for the colorful Indian scenery, but the stories and characters are all so appealing. Not a lot of mystery, except medical.

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    1. John has the same problem, Karen! He complains that they don’t sound French!

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    2. And is it in English? No subtitles?

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    3. Yes, in English! I don't even recall French accents.

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    4. In English, and no French accents by the two main characters. Others in the show do have accents, and even speak in French. It's kind of jarring to me.

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  7. This show is based on the Verlanque and Bonnet series by ML Longworth. Definitely worth the read. Britbox has been a fixture in our house for years now. I’m hoping for more Murder in Provence! We’ve done a couple of driving trips, basing in Avignon, Aix, and Loumarin. I’d live there in a minute.

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    1. I love M. L. Longworth's Provence mysteries, but they have changed Marine's and Antoine's backstories for the tv series. In the books Marine is a professor of legal history. And Antoine's deputy is male, married to a wine grower.

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  8. Check out Upstart Crown for great comedy, also QI

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  9. Hmmm,I have been trying to not add any new subscription services! Reacher is the last show I enjoyed watching on Amazon Prime.

    Did anyone else see the Apple+ TV advert for SLOW HORSES by Mick Herron? I am tempted to do a free trial just to watch it. He is International GOH (Guest of Honor) at ABQ LCC

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    1. Wait until all episodes drop if you want to binge on a free trial. New ones are weekly on Fridays

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  10. Just last night I was looking over the description of this program. I’ll probably give it a try!

    DebRo

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  11. I haven't watched yet, but I had a feeling that it was based on the ML Longworth series, which I've enjoyed reading. Maybe I'll give it a try, warts and all, just for the scenery.

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    1. The scenery is lovely, but the chemistry between Antoine and Marine is sizzling hot!

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  12. I watched the first episode and expect to watch the others soon. But going from "nothing" to watch, to what feels like a zillion good things, I'm afraid my reading might suffer.

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  13. Great! Weirdly, It sounds very familiar though, but I suppose I could not possibly have seen it… I know we saw a similar one, and it was lovely, too. It’s strange to watch a self-contained episode, though, isn’t it? I know that story structure is what we used to watch all the time (like Law and Order) , but the rhythm of it is so different i’m a continuing serial series! Very instructive, too, when it comes to writing.
    We adore BritBox!

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  14. It's been a while since I've seen a crime show that I've really enjoyed... remember Scott & Bailey? So thanks for the tips, Rhys - like others I'm reluctant to add more subscriptions, but maybe it's time.

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    1. Loved Scott and Bailey. Three terrific actresses playing the three lead characters. Thought it was great that they were always having these confabs in the ladies room. Just as so many male-dominated shows had the guys in the gents or on the golf course or wherever women weren't present.

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  15. Oh, Rhys, that sounds wonderful. I've been on the fence about whether or not to join BritBox. This may be the clincher!

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  16. Thanks for the tip, Rhys. I keep looking at Britbox but haven't yet added that to my long list of subscriptions. But I do love Provence so this might be the one that makes me subscribe.

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  17. I watched the first mystery and really enjoyed it. The main characters are so comfortable with each other and I loved the snarky little comments they make.

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  18. Watched the 3 episodes & enjoyed it. But I agree that all the English actors playing French characters did jar at first.
    Some other series that we enjoyed: Line of Duty & The Unforgotten. And The Brokenwood Mysteries, set in New Zealand has wonderful chemistry between the three detectives. We watch Britbox and Acorn almost exclusively.

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  19. We watched the first two episodes and found it puzzling. Why are two very not-French people living and working in France? They aren't presented as ex-pats, but no effort (other than names and pronunciations) is made to make them seem French.

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  20. Extra cost channels are just highway robbery. We pay over $250 a month for cable and THEN we should pay for all the extra, plus, premium, special channels? It’s just wrong!

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    1. Ditched cable years ago for that reason. BritBox is available for a reasonable monthly fee from Amazon - I don't know if you need Prime membership to subscribe, but it's a nice way to add channels without much cost. I often add channels to binge on shows I want to see, then cancel when I'm done. So far, I've had no problem doing so. It's a good option.

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    2. Kait, I don't have Prime and I have Britbox. Rick, I also have free streaming through TUBI--it does have commercials, but that doesn't bother me because I can mute those. Kanopy and Hoopla provide movie streaming if your library subscribes to those services.

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  21. My BFF got me hooked on Mary Lou Longworth's book series several years ago,around
    the same time I got her started on reading Martin Walker's Bruno books,both found by
    chance in our libraries! I may have to give the Britbox shows a try soon!

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  22. Rhys, if there was a movie or a tv adaptation of your Royal Spyness novels, I can see Hugh Laurie as Binky, Lady Georgie's brother.

    MURDER IN PROVENCE is wonderful! BRITBOX is the only streaming service that I am able to get since Acorn TV and Netflix required me to upgrade my computer. I worry that I will lose my WIP notes and my online access to my writing class if I upgrade my computer.

    When I was watching MURDER IN PROVENCE, I noticed that the comedic thief from FATHER BROWN was also on Murder in Provence and his character this time was very sinister.

    Roger Allam was Endeavour's boss on the ENDEAVOUR series. I have seen him in other British mysteries, though I cannot recall the titles off the top of my head at the moment.

    Nancy Carroll was Lady Felicity on FATHER BROWN. She also was in an episode of MIDSOMER
    MURDERS. I remember her from THE CROWN as a friend of Princess Margaret.

    There are many wonderful mysteries on BRITBOX. I am grateful that I can continue to get their streaming service.

    Diana

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  23. Yes, more Agatha Christie adaptations! I don't understand why we don't see a ton of these - she was prolific, well loved, and, if I recall correctly, still holds the record for most books sold in the UK?

    Honestly - please don't stone me for this - I often like the movies/TV series better than the books, since the style of commercial writing has changed so much since the 30s and 40s.

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    1. Julia, Yes, I have noticed that the quality of books have changed. Maybe it is not the quality per se but the fact that the new books often have Multiple POVs, which makes it challenging for me to read new books. One very popular book that was on the Booker Prize loonglist had too many POVs and different timelines that I got lost!

      Diana

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  24. I am indeed late checking in today, but it's been a delightful Sunday. We drove over to Indiana and met my daughter, granddaughter, and son-in-law for lunch, and I got some great family love in. It was a perfect day for a Sunday drive, and continuing with the joy in a beautiful, sunny day, I even took the dog for a walk when I got home. Now, I get to read my favorite blog here and finish an excellent book, Dear Child by Romy Hausmann ( a new-to-me German author). And tonight Call the Midwife and The Walking Dead.

    Thanks for the heads-up on Murder in Provence, Rhys. It sounds right up my alley. And, I do hope Hugh Laurie does right by the Agatha Christie movie. I've been watching Something About Pam that's the series starring Renee Zellweger on NBC. You can stream it a couple of places the day after it drops on NBC (it's at 9:00 CDT on Tuesday). Zellweger is fantastic in the role of Pam Hupp who kills her best friend and then helps to get the husband convicted of the murder. Josh Duhamel is great as the defense attorney.

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  25. Speaking of Agatha Christie adaptations, I have read several people's dislike for the Kenneth Branaugh adaptations. I was surprised that he is doing this because I see him more as that character from the Henning Mankell police procedural series, which is far more gritty than Agatha Christie type of drawing room mysteries styple.

    Diana

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  26. Thanks to recommendations here, I watched the first season of Ted Lasso when Comcast had a free Apple TV week. However, when I signed up for the 3 month preview and tried to watch more Apple TV on my TV set, they insisted I put a code into their website. I did that multiple times but none worked so I cancelled it. I don't know if Comcast offers BritBox but I only stream through their apps. I could get Acorn but I already subscribe to Disney Plus and Grokker.

    About accents, I was in Argentina years ago and watch The Saint with Roger Moore. So weird not to hear the British accent! Also weird hearing Hoss speak Germany on Bonanza in Germany!

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  27. I just finished binging Murder in Provence and it was brillant. I just wish there were a dozen more episodes. I loved the awesome scenery and the storylines but the chemistry between the two main characters was really brought it to life. I love a story that keeps you entertained while laughing at the easy joky manner between Marine and Antoine.

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