Fool Me Once – No not really – Netflix Review

Promised much but missed the mark…..

Let’s start with a Spoiler Alert. This review is for those that have watched or read the book, or can’t be bothered to waste  nearly 8 hours on a TV Film, that should have had Gal Gadot in the title role, but I guess she was busy doing other bigger budget Netflix films.

I assume HC must have pitched a synopsis like this to his Literary Agent, or Publisher, or perhaps he doesn’t have to now. He just writes them, and they get published regardless. I mean, people just take it all in, during their busy lives, don’t they?

Former renowned army helicopter pilot, and ace crack shot, Captain Maya Stern – ‘don’t call me Mrs Burkett’ – is attending the funeral of her late husband Joe, with her two year old daughter Lily. Everywhere is now so wonderfully inclusive.

His rich influential – Pharmaceutical Conglomerate – family have quite rightly organised everything, and are burying him in the gardens of their mansion in the Cheshire hills – as you do, – despite apparently not having a death certificate. I guess you see where this is going.

Now don’t get me wrong, HC is a great author and has sold millions of books – not like me – but this plot has more holes than a Swiss cheese – I know, I use this phrase far too much – but in this case it does.

I really liked the premise, and if the plot had been pulled together it would have been a great novel, rather than a – 3.5 star – okay book. (See Book Review at the end.)

The Netflix dramatization, you would have expected, would have ironed out the plot so it hung together properly – having originally been written in 2016, – but no, they just added in more clumsy irrelevant side stories. Or as I call them, Not in Book (NIB), or more realistically, a Netflix Introduced Bit (NIB), but I digress.

Joe has been murdered, while meeting Maya in a park at night? Apparently he asked to meet her.

Two hooded motorcyclists, (NIB) rode past Maya, attempted to rob Joe, but decided instead to put three bullets in him. As she quite rightly pointed out to – the useless – DI Kierce, when he asked, ‘If she did it?’ She flippantly answered. ‘It wouldn’t have taken me three shots.’  No. Not unless you wanted it to look like some idiot did it. Then you could do it that way.

Four Months earlier, Maya’s sister – Claire – who works with Joe, because she’s good at her job – was also shot dead. And would you believe it, the same gun was used for both murders.

Wow. How could that happen you ask? Come on now, that’s the easy bit.

But I’m getting ahead of myself. Eighteen years ago, Joe’s brother – Andrew – died in a boating ‘accident’ while six, 18 year old friends, were just yachting to Bermuda and getting pissed – as you do.

Joe bares his soul to Maya after 48 hours of their whirlwind romance, on their first trip away to Turks and Caicos. Stating, in hushed tones, that Andrew committed suicide. Really?

Because we all know later, he was pushed, and Andrew’s best mate had also just died. This was when the six lads undertook a drinking ritual – on the poor scholarship boy – Theo, just because he was better at football than Joe. The best striker in the State, sorry County.

I forgot to say, Netflix had dragged the story from New York, USA, to Manchester, England, but never mind, the aged dark secret is now out there – somewhere.

So, we obviously have a single minded, army career woman – who discards chaps, like blokes drop women after a night on the p**s in Salford. Sorry has meaningful holiday romances, and then reluctantly leave the one she loves.

No, that’s Claire, her sister. Who had an unwanted pregnancy 18 years ago (NIB) and had him adopted. This is one of those red herrings, where Claire and her widowed husband Eddie’s children go searching, – pointlessly –  for their long lost half-brother.

Sorry I digressed again – but you get how the plot is developing, or not as the case may be.

So army career woman (Maya), with a talent and desire for shooting pistols. I know it doesn’t translate well from the USA, – the right to bear arms malarky, – falls for suave rich man, with dodgy chat up lines and a smile. Forgets to take her pill, and gets pregnant – all within about a week, based upon the timeline. Decides she is now really maternal – so doesn’t have an abortion – but is swept off her feet by Joe, and marries him instead, and they all live happily ever after, with Maya as Mummy.

No. It’s not quite like that.

Hard as nails, 6 foot Maya (MK), sorry again, 5 ft. 6 in. (beautiful make up though), dumps the child on Joe (RA) and Kiddy Day Care, and goes off on another six month Tour of Duty. Obviously Joe doesn’t need to work because of his privileged back ground, but he does.

Then Captain Stern shoots helpless civilians from her Helicopter Gunship because her mates have all been shot, while Shane – more of him later – sits in the back, whooping great shot Maya.

This clearly has a bad effect on Maya, who now suffers PTSD. Not because of Guilt of killing the civilians, but because she would do it all again at the drop of a hat.

But that’s not it all. A whistleblower, leaks a video – no doubt by Netflix – of the crime to Corey the Whistle, who just wants to right the world of its wrongs, and would you believe it, Maya is encouraged to leave the army with an Honourable Discharge. – I was going to write something smutty here, but decided against it. – She is now teaching trainee pilots to fly civilian helicopters (NIB).

This is also where the timeline doesn’t quite hang together.

As I noted, only four months ago Claire was shot, but Maya was still in the Army in Kuwait then. But the video had been out for a while, without the audio – which is apparently, really incriminating, – and Claire asked Corey the Whistle not to publish it, to save her sister more heartache. I’m not sure how we have video and audio’s of every helicopter mission, but if we do I would have guessed that Capt. Stern would know.

Why would Corey do this? Because Claire has a bigger story for him to disclose.

The Burkett Conglomerate, are covering up their lousy medicines, including anti-biotics that didn’t cure a little boy in SEA. (No, it’s South East Asia, but I know HC likes a good three letter acronym). Plus their drugs that give you hallucinations as a side effect – just like poor old DI Kierce, who keeps seeing his dead fiancé. (NIB). No, this wasn’t in the book, and doesn’t really help the plot, other than right at the end…perhaps a little, or not as the case may be.

After the funeral, where we are led to believe (wrongly) by the narrative – not for the last time – that Maya is grieving. Her best mate, Eileen – other than her dead sister, doh – gives her a Nanny Cam, (no audio), as you do, to keep an eye on her daughter and Nanny. (I know most people actually keep an eye on their dogs. This would then be a Doggy Cam), while asking ‘Do you trust her?’

Eileen’s role, is a rather lazy plot line, that adds nothing much, other than to tell Maya, that she suddenly remembers that Claire had a row with someone, on the phone. But not on her normal phone, but a burner phone. But hey ho, wasn’t sure it was important, however, just thought I would mention it.

Well it’s nice to see your daughter on video, enjoying the time you can’t be bothered to give her, especially after the death of her Daddy and yesterdays funeral, but come on a girls got to earn a living. Or perhaps not, because there is the Will to be read. But no need, you get nowt. Joe’s money is all in trust for Lily. You just get the posh designer home – that you despise – with more glass than the Shard, and no curtains or blinds. So, Maya, let’s get back to work.

And as we can see, because you have always been on a ToD, your daughter prefers her Nanny and Grand Mother to you. Even Shane bonds with her better.

Ah, Shane. The loyal colleague, the co-pilot, the trusty friend, the bloke that can and will do anything, who is now an MP (no silly, a Military Policemen) – I guess he decided to also stop flying Helicopters in the army because of Maya’s rocket attack. Very versatile.

Now don’t get me wrong, most books need a fixer – I have Cliff in the CJ Gray Mysteries – but blimey he can do anything, get anything, sort anything, and all before you can say Bob’s your Uncle. I’m surprised Maya didn’t fancy him – but, I again digress. RA was far more handsome, despite being 52, only 17 years too old for the role, but there is me putting realism before the plot, not like Netflix.

Maya, then absentmindedly, while playing back the video on the Nanny Cam, see’s her dead husband – How can this be?

This is, the hub of everything. The setup. The reason to go chasing the truth – when you don’t need to. The twist in the finale. And more importantly, the all-seeing Nanny Cam.

We get the hook. We see that Joe appears on the Nanny Cam. But it can’t be, he is DEAD.

To bloody true it can’t be Joe. He definitely is dead. And Maya you know it. Don’t you?

Oh, I nearly forgot DI (Sami) Kierce, who is trying to also solve the murders, and has a suspicion, Maya may not be being truthful.

We also get a DC to Mollycoddle Sami,(NIB) because he’s a recovering alcoholic, but hasn’t drunk, for about 3 years. Who we are told is also apparently dying, – well he’s not really – but he’s just on those bloody drugs, produced by the baddies the Burkett’s. So he is also, eventually on a mission. (NIB).

So there we have it. The scene is set. Two murders to solve, both committed by the same gun, and a man back from the dead.

So who did it/them?

Before I get to that, we have a few more side plots. Some required, with others completely pointless, to consider. I could do these chronologically, but why. They are mostly irrelevant, and not always accurate or necessary.

The football coach, whose son was riding on one of the bikes, but had nothing to do with anything really. (NIB)

Eileen mentioning Claire’s phone, provided more red herring’s because Corey the Whistle was already seeking Maya regardless of her following him up, having been tailed, and checked out by Shane.

The other rider, who did have a gun, but didn’t do it, but did see who did. If only the dumb policemen, had pursued them sooner. (NIB)

Theo’s poor mother, gave a bit of padding to her son’s death.

Neville Lockwood, the Headmaster, finally came clean to Maya, and provided some clarity on Theo, Andrew, and Joe. But it was 18 years ago.  Christopher Swain provided some damning – but – unseen evidence. Because no one actually knew how Andrew got in the water, other than Joe.

Tommy Dark (Tom Douglass in the book) was the most significant clue. Clare found he had received payments from the Burkett’s. Shane checked him out. He investigated the death of Andrew, which confirmed accidental death. His subsequent death, was the most brutal murder, but didn’t warrant checking out further, by the police, to see who actually killed him. Other than Maya jumping to that conclusion.

Shane was her go to, and confidante; but she didn’t fully involve him. Maya let him go on about Joe possibly being alive. No logical reason for that.

Amy and Neville, pursuing their mother Claire’s lover, and the father of their step brother, was a cul-de-sac to nowhere. The step brother led us further down a path to nowhere. (NIB)

Corey the Whistle the most significant part of the storey, searching out the truth, to tell the world. His set up in the middle of nowhere, with mains electric, avast array of computer monitors, and the security of a tooth pick, sort of lacked something. (NIB). In the book, he was set up in a strip joint – far more realistic – but perhaps not on vogue, for the UK and Netflix.

Caroline – sister of Joe, Andrew, and of course Neil the surviving son – was a mere pawn in her mother’s plans. The alleged payments to DI Kierce, was actually a false lead, set by Judith.

Neil, despite him apparently running this multi million pound pharmaceutical empire, was probably in the book for only about ten pages, and on the screen for a matter of minutes. Such a waste of a potential character.

Judith Burkett, the Mother-in Law, key to the added tension. What did she know? What was she hiding? ‘I just married into the family, – Like you Maya. I’m just a simple Psychiatrist.’

Yeh, sure. Again so much more could have been developed.

Now this is the ‘Spoiler Alert’ but I have to, because this is where it all goes Arghhh.

Maya, (a couple of weeks ago) sussed out that Joe killed Claire, but how?

Apparently because the gun in the secret compartment – of the war chest in Cheshire – was not properly cleaned and had been recently fired. Big leap, – I know – but that was all that she required.

Why he did it, she doesn’t know, but so what. He killed my sister. She felt betrayed, adulterated, for sleeping with the enemy. With someone she never really knew. No shit Sherlock.

Maya apparently then leaves ‘clues’ for Joe, that she knows he killed Claire!

She finally calls Joe – and having set him up with a dodgy gun, with no firing pin – asks to meet him in the park at night – as you do – because she has proof that he killed her sister. I still can’t fathom out why he goes.

But she knows he will try and shoot her, and she will then have the proof she needs.

So they meet, he bluffs it out. She clearly says, ‘She will dig away until she finds the truth,’ – she doesn’t actually have – and he decides enough is enough. Joe smiles – that’s enough for Maya.

Joe pulls the trigger. Click, Click, Click.

She now knows that Joe did it, and there is only one way out. Shoot the b*****d.

Bang, Bang, and then a little pause – because she had to make it look authentic – and Bang.

Joe’s dead.

She now has her revenge. So why dig further? For what end?

This is where the plot lacks credibility and doesn’t quite hang together.

Knowing what she knows, and what we also now know, the plot falls on its face, but credit to HC and Netflix for carrying on regardless.

Most people are either baffled by the many characters, plot twists and red herrings, or just astonished and happy to go along with something that is ‘brilliant’ and then amazed by the ‘Twist’ that Maya killed Joe. Plus add in the finale when she is shot and killed, while it is all going viral on the Nanny Cam, and we apparently have a Blockbuster on our hands.

Back to the story. Why did she worry about Joe on the Nanny Cam. She knew the truth. She must have also suspected that Judith was messing with her.

Knowing what she did, if she wanted to bring down the Burkett Empire, surely she had two more reasonable choices:-

1. Engage fully with Corey the Whistle or
2. Tell the police. Especially if she had a perfect alibi, for the murders.

But no. She instead pursues the true path to a great story, – that HC has planned out, like all great novelist, – chasing the only plausible leads she had to follow:-

1. Find Tommy Dark – who ends up dead, because Claire got too close to finding out why Burkett were paying him off.
2. Find Chris Swain, and his secrets.
3. Find more info for Corey the Whistle, to bring down the Burkett Empire.

Maya and Corey find TD dead. So why tell the police, and stay? An anonymous tip would have sufficed. Corey had run, Maya could have followed. No logic to staying, all it did was provide more evidence against herself. Joe originally moved the body in her car. But who for certain killed TD and why? That wasn’t even really pursued, but Maya knew it was Joe, because of the blood in her car. That was all she needed.

Just as an aside, really to expose the lack of continuity in the film. TD was found in the middle of the night. DI Kierce and DC Mollycoddle eventually, turn up next morning, and Maya is still hanging around, because the local police won’t let her go. Statuesque Maya, has had enough, and looks to deck the strapping DC Mollycoddle, because he goes to stop her and touches her. ‘Don’t you ever touch me again!’

Oh and where is Lily all this time? Who knows, and eventually Maya realises she has forgotten her daughter.

Maya, having lied once more to her pal, finally admits to Shane about the Rocket Launch, and that she switched off his radio, before attacking the civilian SUV. We all get rather bleary eyed, because……well we understand.

But she has to get to Chris Swaine, so goes after him, again leaving Shane without saying anything. What has he done to deserve such a great friend.

Chris Swain, – knowing he now couldn’t be hurt by the callous Joe – then confided all. The ritual dying of Theo, was caused because of Joe, but they all had the guilt to live with. But with Joe dead he was safe to talk to his widow?  He didn’t have to consider: Perverting the cause of justice, withholding evidence, conspiracy to a murder. I think I might just have kept my mouth shut, like the other two lads – that are not in the book or Film – and apparently didn’t require a further mention, other than being in masks in the opening credits.

But having explained the death of Theo, he also confides – tearfully – to Maya, that he believed, that Joe pushed Andrew off the yacht. Mainly I guess because no one knows except Joe, or Andrew, who are both now dead.

There we have it. Joe is a nasty bit of work who she didn’t read, and feels gutted. But at least she feels better for having killed him. Not only for Clare’s death but three others poor saps.

Meanwhile Corey the Whistle is bringing down the IT Network of the whole Police Service because DI Kierce boss, put out some chatter on the Web, about Corey (NIB). But rather than send a team to stop him, good old DI Kierce, single handedly goes after him, in the place in the woods. And despite his fainting fits, being knocked over, and running through the undergrowth, he catches up with a lad 14 years his junior.

Corey will only tell DI Kierce, all about Burkett’s drugs, no one else. Sami, now understanding a bit more, decides to let Corey go, as they clearly can’t pin the murder on TD.

But shortly – the fainting prone – DI Kierce, is on the roof chasing one of the bike riders following a tip off by DC Mollycoddle (NIB). It looks like he will faint and fall, but no, the lad who is now climbing back, has time to tell him about the other biker who saw the real killer of Claire before he dramatically falls, 3 storeys and is presumably dead. But no, he survives.

DI Kierce though, has gone too far this time, and is now suspended.

Maya, takes the Sim out of her phone, I guess so she can’t be tracked, and buys a burner phones, rather than buy another smart phone. Which she immediately regrets, because how can she now track the Nanny’s brother’s van on her App. She then calls Eddie, so she can arrange for him to always be allowed to pick up Lily. And also, to have one last fond look at her daughter.

Maya, gets the Nanny and her brother to confess their part in the Nanny Cam, – by cracking them with the butt of her gun, –  which let’s be honest she already suspected. But Shane rocks up. Would you believe it, he’s also put a tracker on the car.

The detail of the bullet being taken for ballistics comparisons, has also come out. Shane is very resourceful – but didn’t quite cover his tracks. Plus he now knows the same gun killed both Joe and Claire. Shane, now knows the truth, you can see it in his eyes, Maya also knows, that he knows.

Therefore Maya, finally confesses all to her best mate, – bloke term, not girlie mate – TBH she had to, otherwise how would we know the truth, that she killed Joe.

But Maya has a plan to fix those Burkett’s. To flush them out. But damn, the suspended DI Kierce, gets in the way, when he beats up the other bloke on the bike who saw Maya shoot Joe, getting him to identify Maya. (NIB).

He tracks her down because she has taken Eddie’s car, but luckily, – or not, – it also has a tracker.  DI Kierce, catches her at home and – just after she has made her final plan, written her letter to Lily, but before she can implement it – he arrests her. (NIB)

Flash forward to the Burkett Mansion. – Maya, Corey, and Sami (NIB) have got together to sort them dastardly Burkett’s out, and execute Maya’s devious plan.

There we have Maya sitting in the dark – with her trusty Klock revolver (NIB) – waiting for Judith, Neil  and Caroline. How she got in, god only knows. How she sorted out the Wi-Fi, who cares.

She is there holding a gun – that if she fired would probably knock her off her feet – but I digress.

She confronts the Burkett’s with lots of circumstantial evidence about Joe, their precious, son/brother, and that she knows about the dodgy ‘Drugs/Medicines’.

Well she must be right then – lets not bluff this out – other than Judith, foolishly, trying to buy her off. Which doesn’t work.

So Neil, goes for the gun. Which by now, Maya has conveniently placed on a side table, removed the magazine of bullets, and forgotten all about it. – But why take a gun loaded with bullets. Surely just take the gun. You were never going to shoot them. Schoolgirl error there Maya. But hang on, that wouldn’t work with the plot.

This is where I find the trip across the pond from the USA, a bit hard to swallow. Neil, who possibly, – like Joe – dislikes guns. probably because he’s British. He has possibly never held or fired one,  but instinctively he puts the loaded magazine in the gun, removes the safety catch – what safety – and aims at Maya’s chest.

The three Burkett’s come together and Bang, Bang, Bang – not one shot. Which would have most likely frightened the life out of Neil – but three. Just like Maya and Joe. Poetic.

Everyone, expects her to be wearing a bullet proof vest, and get up. – Pah, that doesn’t fit with the story.

No. Maya is really dead. But she has the last laugh – or not as the case may be – she points to the Nanny Cam on the mantlepiece, streaming live everything like a silent movie – no sound remember – to a Worldwide Audience. Gotcha.

What a twist, what an ending, I wasn’t expecting that. Well to be honest I wasn’t. I quite liked that bit.

But she didn’t have to die did she?

Fast Forward 18 years (25 years in the book)

So Maya asked Eddie, to bring up Lily. Despite despising him at the start, for being a worthless lush, who she wouldn’t trust with 10p, let alone her two year old precious daughter. But Maya realises, that he must have been good, to bring up Amy and Daniel so well, Ah, sweet. This was the guy she threw to the ground like a soft toy because he wanted his wife’s phone, and to get out of the house she entered without permission. But I recognise we all change.

Shane is the doting Godfather, DI Kierce, for some unfathomable reason (NIB) is so close to Lily, that he is encouraged to hold Lily’s newborn baby at the hospital. Hospitals are going to get so much better and inclusive in the future.

Lily is happily married, having not known her Mother or Father. But she decides to call her daughter, would you believe it.… Maya.

I guess because of all the cosy chats they all had – around the fire side – as she grew up. Reminiscing about the fact that her Father murdered 4 people – one of which was her Aunty Claire, and would I guess have been her adopted mother, if she had lived – another was his brother, and his best friend, and some other guy, who he was never actually proven to have killed in the first place.

Plus, no doubt chatting aimlessly about how her mother, who shot her father three times in cold blood, for all the wrongs he did. And finally, let’s not forget how the rest of her rich privileged family, then callously shot her mother, with three bullets – Ah the pathos of it all – you couldn’t write it. – But oh yes, you certainly could.

Book Review – 3 Stars

Great Premise – but missed the mark…

Nearly a 4 Star, but…I expected the narrative to be true, and hold the plot together…but it was not always the case. Too many unrealistic and irrelevant sub plots…they should be meaningful…the loose ends were not well tied up in my opinion…but that might just be me. Many plot holes which is not a good sign..

Knowing what she knew, would Maya go digging the way she did?….otherwise a usual HC tale.

Netflix didn’t do it proud either…Suggest A CJ Gray Mystery…