TV and Book News

We’ve discovered a little BBC jewel. (Actually, the contact I've mentioned at the Dallas Museum of Art recommended it.) It's the series, “Foyle’s War.”

We’re hooked after two episodes. Think Columbo meets Sherlock Holmes.

Detective Chief Superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) stars in this series set during and after the Second World War in Hastings. Stand-alone episodes involve investigations of crimes that usually relate to profiteering from the war-caused mass confusion. Foyle’s sidekicks are Detective Sergeant Paul Milner (Anthony Howell) and his driver, Samantha "Sam" Stewart played by Honeysuckle Weeks, whose name—incidentally—I first thought was an episode title.

Foyle’s enemies underestimate this quiet-spoken widower who embodies scrupulous integrity, the pursuit of justice, and human decency. The scripts are brilliantly written and provide satisfying mysteries. The second episode provides a great example of how good leaders give others room to fail.

In the "books" category, on Sunday I started reading Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by the husband-wife New York Times writing team, Sheryl WuDunn and Nicholas Kristof. So far I've learned many sobering facts including this: the area of the Democratic Republic of Congo where my husband works with Pastor Fred is the rape capital of the world. More on all this after I read and process.