Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Killer Rumors by Antonello Fiore The Card Player (Slip) OOP. Dario Argento returns to classic form with this vicious thriller about a serial killer who taunts police with online video poker. But for every round the cops lose, a kidnapped girl is mutilated live via webcam. Now an Italian detective and an Irish forensic expert (Liam Cunningham) must race against time to trap the killer. The stakes are murder and the hunt is on for the psychopath known only as The Card Player. Starring Liam Cunningham, Stefania Rocca. Special Features: New audio commentary by film historians Nathaniel Thompson and Troy Howarth, New interview with director/screenwriter Dario Argento, New interview with screenwriter Franco Ferrini, New interview with set designer Massimo Antonello Geleng, New interview with actress Fiore Argento. Scorpion Releasing // 2003 // 117 Minutes // Not Rated // Color // English, Italian with English Subtitles // Region A. Book Review: Killer Rumors (Book #1 – Frank Rinelli Series) By Antonello Fiore. Blurb: Father D’Angelo and Bakeman, two devoted priests were brutally murdered while going on one of their nightly walks. Detective Frank Rinelli is called to the case- not only due to his close friendship with the priests, but with his expertise of tracking psychotic killers. Rinelli suddenly discovers these murders were based on a scandal that occurred several years ago at the same Church where the two murdered priests preached. And it doesn’t stop there. The list of people being murdered in connection with the scandal continues to grow until the killer has his ultimate vengeance- and the truth released. Now I received this book for review from the author some time ago, requesting an honest review of his novel. Now I’m not the biggest fan of crime/murder novels but they have been growing on lately, so I thought it was time to give it a read. (Sorry it’s taken so long Antonello). I started reading it, and I honestly thought ‘this sounds interesting – should be good’. The first chapter sets the plot, by the murderer plotting his crime of revenge by killing two priests. This sounded fantastic, I must admit. But then it changed. Before I say the things that didn’t quite flow, or grab me, let me firstly say – the plot was great, the flow was nice, if a little slow for my liking, and the whole idea for this book was interesting to say the least. I liked the killer – I know that’s a bizarre thing to say but I did! Apologies for the spoiler but there were two murderers, the one that I liked was The Solution – Honestly, I don’t think that was the best assassin name ever but I’m not a gangster, and I don’t kill people. Quite likely this is an appropriate name. He’s cool, calm, collected, and prides himself on his work, and skill. I felt, out of all the characters portrayed in this novel, that the killers were the only ones that seemed realistic, and three-dimensional. There was more of connection with them, by me, than with the rest of the characters. I mean the detectives that were following the case, seemed a bit flat – personality wise. Unfortunately for me, what I didn’t like was the constant change from 1st person, to 3rd person, and past/present tense. It just didn’t work for me. Either the book is in 1st person or 3rd person, not both! As a result, it took me a long time to feel some type of connection with the characters, and then it ended up being mostly the killers (as I’ve said). Also I didn’t feel any real intrigue, or that I was trying to unravel the crime along with the detectives on the case. I would have liked to of felt like I was there, right along with the cops, through the thick of it, trying to solve the reason for the murders but that didn’t happen. Everything was explained too easily. I had figured what it was all about before I got half way through the book, which to me was not a good thing. I wanted to try to guess but have twists, and turns to the novel that made me realize I was wrong or that made me second guess myself … but that didn’t happen. I was expecting much but the book didn’t really deliver what I anticipated it would. But other than that, I think the book is good but needs maybe a little revision, and it needs an editor to look at it. It has much going for it, murder, revenge, crime solving – the story is a good idea, which I really liked. The idea of a priest going bad because he lost his priesthood, then goes out for revenge, Hell … who wouldn’t love to read a book like that!? I think if you like a good crime story, it’s something to have give a read. Anyone who loves crime, murder, detective novels – this one you will want to add to your ‘to read’ list. Killer Rumors Nominated for June Book of the Month- Thriller. I'm happy to announce that my thriller novel, Killer Rumors, has been nominated for the June Book of the Month- Thriller. I would appreciate if you could cast your vote for your support. In order to vote, you simply need to join the Making Connections Group on Goodreads, and then cast your vote. As an act of appreciation, I will be placing my novel for FREE in electronic version (PDF format) if my novel does indeed win. That way, we can all read and discuss my novel without spending any money. Voting ends on June 4th. I thank you for your endless support. Wishing you all the best! The Card Player. Italo horror master Argento deals a surprisingly tame hand in "The Card Player," in which a serial killer forces the police to play video poker for his victims' lives. Without a drop of blood and most of the violence off-camera, pic is short on the Grand Guignol thrills for which the director is famous. Could penetrate more mainstream markets like TV. Deborah Young. Latest. Italo horror master Dario Argento deals a surprisingly tame hand in “The Card Player,” in which a serial killer forces the police to play video poker for his victims’ lives. Without a drop of blood and with most of the violence off-camera, pic is short on the kind of Grand Guignol thrills for which the director is famous. Argento fans lusting for a classy slasher movie of the “Suspiria”/”Opera” variety are headed for a disappointing rendezvous with an old-fashioned police thriller, upgraded by serious actors in the main roles. Pic could, however, penetrate more mainstream markets like TV. Plotting and characters strongly recall TV stereotypes, from the over-modern police office where the poker games take place, to icky post- mortems in the morgue and video images of squirming women trying to scream through taped mouths. They also bring to mind silent movie cliches, particularly an extended scene of the heroine chained to railroad tracks as a train bears down on her. The main role, originally slated for Dario’s daughter, Asia (reprising her gutsy police inspector in “The Stendhal Syndrome”), was re-written for Stefania Rocca after Argento Jr. passed. Pic was advertised as having been shot in English (though cast is all-Italian apart from Liam Cunningham), and the bad lip-synch in Italo version caught recalls the days before direct sound became the norm on Italian sets. The eventual English-language version will suffer the absurdity of Cunningham speaking the same lingo as the Italians. Irish cop John Brennan (Cunningham) is sent to Rome to investigate the kidnapping of a British tourist there. From their snazzy offices in a gorgeous Baroque palazzo, the police watch the girl’s final minutes on their computers. A psychopathic killer has demanded they play video poker with him; if the police win, the girl will be spared. However, the victor must win three hands of poker, and for each round the police lose, she’ll have a body part cut off. The police chief (Adalberto Maria Merli) calls the killer’s bluff, and the poor tourist is fished out of the river the next day. Inspector Anna Mari (Rocca, straining to look mousy and repressed in a long dark wig) leads a group of cops who are in favor of playing with the maniac, and soon another game is on with another young girl strapped to a chair. Carlo (Claudio Santamaria), an officer out to impress Anna, volunteers to play the cards for the police, but destiny deals him (and the victim) a bad hand. Ignoring Carlo’s jealousy, Anna pairs off with the brilliant John, who has a knack for post-mortems. Story, like characters, has never been Argento’s strong point, and things plod along unsuspensefully from one video murder to the next. Realizing their incompetence at poker, the police conscript a mop-headed, 19-year-old genius (Silvio Muccino) to play for them. But his bravura puts him at risk of a killer who doesn’t like being beaten. While holding back on his trademark on-screen violence, Argento skillfully builds tension in this stalking scene, and in another when Anna is trapped with the killer inside her apartment. Rocca (“The Talented Mr. Ripley”) and Santamaria (“The Son’s Room”) are two of Italy’s hottest young actors, and gamely pull themselves in for roles that require less emotional depth than adroit posing.