The Final Problem by Arturo Perez-Reverte

I didn't even realize that this book, another in the genre of actors who played detectives now becoming the detective, had been translated from another language. There was a bit of formality in some of the writing but I thought it fit with the personality of our first person narrator, an aging former movie star who is (mostly) philosophically "retiring" from acting. In his prime, "Hopalong Basil" (as named by an early agent) was in any number of films but is generally recognized now as The Definitive Sherlock Holmes of his time.

It is those movies that will become very helpful when, stranded on an island with a number of other people, Hoppy takes on the role of lead detective when a murder is committed. But why here and why this person? Everyone on the island is hypothetically strangers, caught by a random storm. Then another death occurs and the tension is ratcheted up.

I have somehow picked up a number of books that are written in the style of a Golden Age mystery. This definitely succeeds. 

Three and a half stars

This book comes out February 10, 2026

ARC kindly provided by Little, Brown and Company, and NetGalley

Opinions are my own

The Flanders Panel by Arturo Pérez-Reverte, Margaret Jull Costa (Translator)

I heard about this book during an episode of  Writing Excuses that talked about structuring a book around a thing. In this case, it's a fifteenth century painting depicting a chess game that is being restored by Julia. While using an x-ray, she notices a note: Who killed the knight?

The story seemed a little odd to me but I finally figured out that it was from the 90s (had thought it was more recent) and had been translated from Spanish. That provided a bit more context because the story, while it does revolve around that key question, also isn't really about it at all. There are only a few characters but each is deeply developed.

Three stars

This book came out in 1990

Hard copy I didn't keep

Opinions are my own