Carl Deuker -- Books, Movies, TV

This time Fisher is after an Irish criminal who is extraordinarily clever. The police have him trapped in a tower.  Five police approach--four windows, one door.  Two of the police are killed, other two injured.  How did he do it?  He didn't.  He wasn't there. One of the policemen, eager to prove his own skill, kills his partners as they all peer into the space where the criminal is supposed to be.  He then falls backward on his ladder to feign injury. Fisher figures it all out . . . but . . . it's the English investigating the Irish.  They can't let the scandalous behavior of the English cop get out. So, the cop's actions are covered up and the Irish criminal goes to jail.  (Fisher does help him escape.)  Again, he is the "man who knew too much."

Middle-aged crisis. Job . . . wife . . . teen-aged daughter When this movie hits, it's spectacular, and it hits often enough to be a **** movie for me.  Excellent acting, surprising shifts in plot that still fit, funny, thought-provoking.  I always worry about seeing a movie again after many years (Bonnie and Clyde, Yikes!), but this one held up.

Based on a play.  Judie Holliday, under the tutelage of William Holden, learns about America's founding principles and learns that her abusive sugar daddy, Broderick Crawford, is a criminal.  First 3/4ths are wonderful.  Last 1/4th is a bit on the preachy/sappy side, but still 3.5 stars

Face in the Target (story one) I was expecting a novel--basis for Hitchcock movie.  Instead it's a collection of stories with Fisher--the man who knows too much--as a a laconic, ironic, detective.  His buddy March (reporter) is along for the first one. March, reporter, comes upon Fisher, laconic upper crust Englishman who is . . . fishing.  A car comes flying over a nearby cliff as they talk.  Accident?  Suicide?  March follows along as Fisher, through keen observation, deduces that it is a murder and also comes up with the murderer.  Pretense and reality, nicely done.  Fisher decides, in the end, not to have murderer arrested.  Very enjoyable

Rabbi Small is a Sherlock Holmes detective, noticing small details and putting together the big picture by deduction.  No surprise (sadly) that the Episcopal minister isn't the murderer.  No surprise that no one in the Jewish community is the murderer.  So that leaves Al Hirsh's workplace, and the ending is reasonably satisfying.  A very pleasant cozy mystery.

Rabbi Small has all sorts of problems.  He agrees to bury Al Hirsh, a non-practicing Jew, in the Jewish cemetery. Hirsh is a suicide.  (Or is he?  Murder?) This "outrages" the Goronsky family who might be thinking of contributing $$$ for a new chapel.  This upsets a member of the congregation (architect) who would like to design that chapel.  Rabbi stands firm:  the buried man will stay in the cemetery and there will be no separating him from others.  Angry members of congregation conspire against the Rabbi.  They want his job--force him to resign over the burial issue.  They want the $$$ for the new chapel.  (Small doesn't.  Too showy, no need.) Details:  Hirsh worked on Manhattan Project.  Alcoholic over guilt, he was about to be fired. This fits the "suicide" angle.  Good fun, a cozy mystery with gentle teaching of Judaic traditions.

I read these years ago and decided to revisit.  Very enjoyable,  Kemelman blends lessons on Judaism with a mystery.  In this book, Yom Kippur is (gently) explained, as is the ins-and-outs of a Rabbi's relationship with his synagogue, both the members and the administration. The death is Isaac Hirsh, a mathematician who goes on benders now and again.  This time he comes upon a bottle when his neighbor is out and the deliveryman leaves it with Hirsh. Hirsh has a young wife, is a mathematician, is non-observant.  He drinks the liquor, intending to but a bottle to replace it for his neighbor.  He throws away the box/address label. So . . . probably poisoned liquor intended for the neighbor, Levenson. Other characters:  and old guy, Garafosky or some such, who refuses to break the Yom Kippur fast to take his medicine.  Rabbi Small explains he's actually breaking Hebrew law by NOT taking it, but the old guy is stubborn and actually enjoys the ar...

The second half is a personal narrative.  We follow our narrator as he humiliates himself in front of a group of acquaintances.  We also follow his internal thoughts as all this is going on.  He knows he is acting absurdly but can't stop himself.  He thinks of the profound and the trivial--bouncing back and forth.  He makes up absurd fantasies in which he is debased but heroic.  The human mind and all it's capacities. After this, we follow him to a house of prostitution where he meets Liza.  He preaches to her about the need to live a meaningful life.  She seems to pay attention. He invites her to visit him, then is in dread that she might visit.  This I found less interesting.  Wordy. There is also a lengthy discussion of his relationship with his servant.  Power struggle without words over trivialities. All in all, excellent.  Human condition in a modern society. Confused, often humiliated, lost.

Byzantium as a city in flux. Dominated by Greeks and (later) Romans. Great potential, but not (yet) a great city. Constantine in 312 converts. He becomes ruler of Rom and East. However, he decides to move to Byzantium. Rome is too tied in pagan traditions, too much history of anti-Christianity. City becomes known as Constantinople, the Roman and Christian capital of the world.

Now our narrator begins a narrative demonstrating the philosophical points.  Example:  he is insulted by a military officer.He decides to be brave and not step aside in the road when this officer comes upon him.  They will bump, and that will prove he is not a fly.  Absurd, and now our narrator is preparing for the bump by buying new gloves and getting a new coat so that he will be properly dressed for the big event!

Long John Silver trades sides a few times . . . some very funny bits . . . Silver, for example, was never afraid of Thom Gunn whn he was alive so expresses no fear when he thinks he hears Gunn's ghost. Terrific book to raise the spirits! Dialogue was wonderful throughout, and Silver is one of the more memorable characters.  I'll give Kidnapped a try soon              .

This was a "read out" from Barnes and Noble. One chapter a day for a month (free). Odd choice. It's a grim tale. Twin "special needs" girls die . . . or so their father is told . . . while being cared for in a home. Actually, the girls have been abducted to the home of the director. Her brother (also special needs after head injury) then proceeds to rape one of them for 20 odd years. The director doesn't seem to think this is such a bad fate for them. (Director also pretends that her brother is her husband so the neighbors see them as an ordinary couple.) The girl escapes and dies for a second time, leading to the investigation. What really happened? The novel includes other murdered women from the past, another woman captured to be a sex slave, a rape, and a sub-plot involving a friend's wedding plans. It's all set up for another novel.  Not one to lift the spirits. https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1399490582l/20455343.jpg

Consciousness as a curse.  Intelligence as a curse.  Our underground man sees only too clearly that reason doesn't motivate men.  The irrational, the desire to exert one's independence by harming oneself, are built in to the human condition.  Two x two = four . . . but so what?  If men want it to be five, and behave accordingly, it's their prerogative.  Simple man, even the stupid man, is happier.

So, the city falls to the Muslims mainly because of Christian mercenaries.  Haiga Sophia becomes a mosque.  In earlier times, the city was Thracian.  Greeks and Persians both saw the value of the geography of Constantinople/Byzantium/Istanbul.  Greeks build walls, but never really did much of value with their valuable property.

Adventures abound. Jim shows pluck and courage. Long John Silver a terrific character. Captain Smollett all you'd want in a captain. Malaria, mutiny, marooned Thom Gunn, the Hispaniola piloted by Jim. Knives flying through the air. Israel Hands dead of gunshot and of drowning--at the hands of Jim. One more wonderful hour left. Audible reader is terrific, so good I (almost) don't want to read on my own.

So, Louise interviews Bodil while they search for Jorgen, her brother (pretend husband) who has held the twins captive and has murdered and raped other women, all the result of an injury when he was a boy that was (somewhat) caused by his sister.  I was wondering why we were getting all the grisly details.  Then it became clear.  Louise heads out into the garden and runs into . . . Jorgen.

2010  Maybe the second time to see it, though Anne is more sure than I am. JW, Swedish student  who is brightest of the bright, gets involved with drug gang looking to make a score with cocaine.  JW will figure out the banking aspect and collect a ton of easy money.  He thinks he is smarter than the rest.  Th rest, a Latin gang and a rival Serbian gang, make up for any lack of intelligence with brutality and cunning. JW finds himself in far deeper than he expected.  He sells out his Latin gang members after being promised by the Serbs that no one will be killed.  In the climactic scene, people do get killed.  JW betrays the Serbs, returning to the Latin gang.  His friend Jorge gets away.  JW ends up in jail. Interesting aspects.  1) One of the Serbs brings his daughter (10 years old)  around with him.  He is her caretaker and clearly cares about her, and he wants somehow to protect her in the midst of all the violenc...

 1453: The Turks are about to invade and take over Constantinople. The Western Christian powers have not supplied sufficient support. Mehmet II has patiently worked his siege. Christianity will end; Constantinople will end; Istanbul will begin. Haiga Sophia means Holy Wisdom.  I like that this book is short (120 pages.) I'm interested, but the 500 page books are a bit much for a chappy! (: Nice detail on Mehmet II.  When he takes power, he immediately orders the execution of his baby half-brother. He also orders the mother of this half-brother to remarry and move to Asia.  No messing around!

Kind of an odd "solution" to the crime. Louise and Eik get a tip, drive out to the forest home of Bodil (the old mistress of the house the twins lived in) and her brother, Jorgen. Jorgen, injured, became a sexual deviant.  The girls were taken to serve as his sex slaves, I guess, for lack of better expression, though it was really just one girl.  L & E find Mette, tied up and wounded from battering her own head.  Jorgen is out in the woods, a danger to rape more women and to kill the missing jogger. Bodil is oddly passive. Mette, the surviving twin, is reunited with her father.  She doesn't recognize him and his singing of childhood songs--Twinkle, Twinkle--does no good. Strange mystery in that there is no sense of a build up of clues.  Just a breakthrew and a discovery. I'm assuming the remaining chapters will be tracking down Jorgen. Jorgen and Bodil, brother and sister, have passed themselves off as husband and wife.

Talk about knowing how to move a story along!  Long John Silver fools the Squire and the Doctor.  The captain is appalled by the crew. First mate, a drunkard, goes overboard forever. Our boy, hiding in an apple barrel, hears the nefarious plot and reports back. They reach the island.  The men, wild with lust for gold, get surly--expecting to trip over treasure the moment they reach land. Captain allows them to go to the island so that the six or seven "true" men can plan how to take on the 19 scoundrels.  Our boy, though, goes to the island with the scoundrels to do more spying.  Terrific writing.  The Audible narrator is fantastic.  Whispersync, as usual, isn't really working, but the short chapters make it possible to move back and forth without much problem.

Stronger editor would have made for a stronger book.  The murder is solved, and then a bunch of possibilities are thrown out to unsolve it, and then the original "solve" turns out to be -- as it should have been -- the correct solve.  There is something a bit pat about the ending. Antoinette realizes that a great many of her wounds are self-inflicted.  Instead of quitting, she will march on, friends again with her partner, determined to face the next case . . . But.  Most of this is exciting, well-written, engaging . . . good stuff!

Tana could have used a more ruthless editor, as this seems unnecessarily long which makes it impossible for it to be a true page-turner unless you are willing to stay up all night.  Lags in places, too, but flies in others.  So, Rory and Lucy give evidence that makes McCann our man.  We, Antoinette and Moran are all sure.  McCann is grilled by Antoinette and Moran--good, tense scene until he clams up. Then Breslin walks in.  He provides an alternative version of the murder with Rory as the murderer.  He demonstrates to Moran and Antoinette how difficult it would be for them to prove that his version isn't as accurate as their version with McCann as murderer.  And . . . they see he is right.  Shocking development because we, as readers, have credited Antoinette with a great solve and are delighted that she and Moran are close friends again.  And now, it has all unraveled . . . again. A and Moran's theory.  Ainsleen has set up McCann f...

Antoinette and Steve are back on the same page.  They seem to be closing in on McCann/Breslin.  However . . . there is now a new mystery. Why was McCann watching Ainslinn's apartment for weeks (maybe months) before the murder?  So, one more twist is coming, which is good since so much of the book remains.

B & N freebie Two chapters on Camilla. She regrets her temper tantrums over the wedding, but she may not be able to get Fredrik back.  He's seen a pretty ugly side of her.  Camilla the journalist goes out to the "forgotten girls" home and does get some information by posing as the daughter of the former headmistress.  Camilla's son asks her for a ride home and she refuses him==only two miles she says.  Will she regret it?

Antoinette goes into a total paranoid state. She believes, for a chapter, that everyone is out to get her kicked out of the murder squad, including Steve and another friend, Fleas.  Not completely convincing.  Rory as stalker of Aislinn is a convincing, good twist, as is the appearance of Antoinette's father.  The scene with him is great, and leads to the breakthrough:  Aislinn, to learn more about her dad's disappearance, gets involved with a policeman.  Probably Breslin.  A. theory goes like this.  Breslin, vain, is angered when he learns Aislinn has another beau.  He asks McCann to go talk to her and sort it out while he sets up an alibi.  McCann kills her, accidentally probably.  McCann cleans up like a cop would, then tells Breslin.  Breslin calls it in, hoping maybe she's only hurt.  Since then, McCann has tried to act like a crooked cop and push Antoinette and Steve into thinking gangs are involved to keep them off the r...

Louise learns of another rape, this time of a woman who was expecting a lover.  There is a hint that the lover (dog didn't bark) might be the rapist.  She does manage to visit the grave of her own dead love, Klaus.  Her son is sick and staying with grandparents. She continues to dislike her partner, though she has increasing respect for him as a detective. Two more chapters tomorrow from Barnes & Noble.

Breslin and McCann continue to act guilty, and now O'Kelly joins them.  Someone seems to be following Antoinette.  Cops harassing her--at work and away from work.  Stuff on her desk is moved around, examined. Theories:  1)  Rory did it in a fit of rage.  Annoying that A. and Steve keep acting as if this is possible as they have no case and the guy just doesn't fit.   2) Aislinn, looking for her missing dad, had a 2nd beau, a gangster, who killed her.  This is "done in" by the news that dad is dead and has been for some time.  He's just a guy who ran away from a bad marriage.  3) Dad is still alive. Dad is a gangster or was in the pocket of gangsters. A gangster killed Antoinette.  4) The cops in her squad are completely corrupt.  The murder is to keep the corruption from spilling into public, so they want Rory sent up pronto. Style:  Antoinette's kick-ass tough girl is wearing me down.  The honest, heart-of-gold u...

Plot moving along. Our murder victim's father disappeared when she was a child. Our murder victim went to a seedy bar with an older guy. Murder victim mixed up with gangs/organized crime? Steve thinks so. Was the victim, the Stepford wife wannabe, actually out there investigating the disappearance of her father?  Not so Stepford-wife like, and not so boring. Antoinette is thrown back. Breslin and McCann, cops on the same squad, bought out by gang guys?  Steve and Antoinette think it is possible. Lots of nuts and bolts about a murder investigation--checking CCTV tape, walking the route the possible murderer walked, etc. A page turner!

Barnes and Noble freebie--two chapters every day Ch. 23:  The murderer has a past. 20 years earlier he had raped and killed women in the same woods.  Animal-like strength. He picked up the 90 pound dog of one of the victims, twirled it around, and smashed its brains out against a tree.  Louise, distraught at the time by the suicide of her lover Klaus, wasn't paying much attention.  Where was this murderer for 20 years?  Jail is what I'd guess.  We'll see. Chapter 24:  More about Camilla and her fixation on her wedding.  Camilla has now gotten in a fight with her fiancee and stormed out of the house.  Wedding off?  Who knows? And I don't care.  Camilla does tell Louise that the burn/scar was caused by an adult at the center, not by Lisamette's sister as the care givers had told the father.  This Camilla stuff  must fit somehow, but I'm not seeing it yet.

Chapter 21: Louise at odds with secretary at new place of work. Secy doesn't tell her about required meeting.  Son sick, going to grandparents. Attack on burned "dead" girl is very violent--forensics. Memories of Klaus. Young love, new house, all seemed fine and then--suicide. Ch. 22  Louise tries to make peace with secy.  She wonders if she's being set up to fail (and then by fired) in this new job. Friendship with coworker who draws a rat for her (her office had been infested earlier). Eik, her partner, examines the clothes of the scarred/burned girl very carefully.   DNA MATCH:  The man who killed child care provider had had sex with Lise.  He didn't hurt Lise, not like he'd hurt the child care provider.  This should also mean that he knows where Lise's (living?) twin is, since the two were inseparable.

Antoinette describes her harassment by the men on the murder squad.  She stays tough through it all.  Then, back to the murder.  Our victim had a tough childhood.  No father, and then she had to be the caretaker for mom. She only emerges when her mother dies. Rory, her would-be boyfriend and the first suspect, is impressed with her elegance.  There is a chance that she has another boyfriend, may be a criminal.  Also, her best friend Lucy might be hiding something. I've reached the point where Rory is being interrogated by Breslin and Antoinette.  Nice description of team work to get at facts.  Steve, A.'s partner, watches from outside. Good tnsion between Breslin and A.  Lurking in the background is the reporter Crowley (Creepy Crowley) who seems to have a source inside the police department and who also seems to have it in for Antoinette.  More coming on this, for sure.   Great tone, great voice for Antoinette.  (1st perso...

Today's two chapters.  XIX --  Camilla, a reporter, stops obsessing on her upcoming marriage and starts investigating the forgotten girls.  She learns that the girls were inseparable at the home, that one of the girls was burnt in the shower room, and that the woman in charge at the time quit her job and has been haunted by it every since.  XX  Louise, our investigator, is eating at a community garden with Melvin, her elderly upstairs neighbor and her son. Louise is still distraught over memories of the suicide of her first boyfriend, Klaus.  Her son--whom she is afraid is smoking--returns from some time away from her with a fever.  He will stay home from school the next day, maybe. The mundane of Louise and Camilla's life, with just enough hint of menace to keep it all interesting. I wish I could read more--B & N is parceling this out and making me wait.

Murder of a woman who seems to have no personality.  Clean house; immaculately dressed; dinner engagement planned.  Our detective is the opposite.  Salt and vinegar personality, stuck on obvious murder cases (domestic violence).  This looks like another easy case to solve--the boyfriend, no doubt.  But, of course, it won't be him.  I'm listening on Audible and have the book as well. Great Audible reader. Wonderful Irish accent. Good characters, good plot. I greatly enjoyed Into the Woods and am hopeful this will be as good.  Terrific writing so far.

B & N read out. 20 pages released per day. Camilla is going crazy over wedding. She "fired" her minister because he wants the ceremony in a church, not in her backyard. Earlier she fired her contractor for late work.  Louise is going back in time, remembering the death by suicide of her first boyfriend. So . . . where is this heading? Camilla a possible victim? Louise's past . . . no idea how that will fit in.

Maigret is called to investigate a strange murder.  Cars switched overnight between two garages.  Dead body in one of them. Complicated plot, but a very good one.  The crossroads garage doubles as a smuggling point. Trucks carry drugs/diamonds etc in their spare tires--make pick-ups and exchanges at the gas station. Murdered man is a diamond dealer. Sister of Carl Anderson turns out to be his wife. He is enamored with her daring life.  Lots of gunfire.  Carl gets shot twice in one day and survives them both. Great fun.

Louise and Eik discover that the two twins, reported dead to their father, did not die. So now -- where is the second twin.  They are looking for a missing person while--in the same forest--the death of the family is being investigated as a murder.  Two stories will become linked, no doubt. Louise with hidden sorrow--suicide of ???? ex-lover probably while she lived with him.  Very good story

Louise and Eik discover that the dead girl with the scarred face was, as a child, placed in a special needs school. Her father was told it would be better if he never visited, then later was told she and her twin sister had died. Nice scenes at the closed home (evil in the air) and with the girls' father (great sadness).  Good relationships Louise and her son, L. & Eik. L & Camille, her friend.  Solid mystery!

Population:  India 1.3 billion . . . Pakistan 182 million Pakistan is a threat to India only because of nuclear weapons China kept at bay by Himalayas Split in 1947:  15 million displaced; 1 million die Pakistan government does not control tribal areas on border with Afghanistan; India govt does not truly control all its vast regions Urdu is official language--spoken by those who fled India. Those already in Pakistan, Sinds and Pashtuns resent the outsiders Baluchistan (not an Urdu speaking area) on the Arabian Sea 45% of country's land and much of its mineral wealth, though not much population.  Chinese building a port there Kashmir is the thorn--water security for Pakistan (Indus River starts there) Afghanistan is also an engagement area.  Pakistan supports (sort of) the Taliban until 9/11 and has been opposed to the Taliban (sort of, since) Pakistan would like to go back to easier relations with the Taliban and the Pashtuns in Afghanistan and Pakistan...

Geography of Iran--mountain ranges/swamps protect it. But--tough to connect the economy. Nuclear program . . . attack by Israel?  It would be difficult for Israel to fly 1000 miles crossing Jordan and Iraq who would (likely) warn them. Strait of Hormuz gives them great power over oil supplies. Turkey  . . . Europe or Asia or both  . . . non Arabic, Kurdish minority . . . where does it fit? Human rights record keeps it out of EU  . . . Legacy of Ataturk makes it unlikely to become a fundamentalist Islamic state . . . at odds with Russia . . . disputes with Israel backfire as Israel then cozies up with Cyprus and Greece . . . Still, this is the freest of all Middle East states with the exception of Israel. Magnificent summary of anti-Semitism in Arab world: "The routine expression of hatred for others is so common in the Arab world that it barely draws comment other than from the region's often Western-educated liberal minority who have limited access to t...

The Middle East:  Familiar story--country lines drawn by Europeans don't fit the geography/religion of the region--trouble. Empty Quarter is largest desert in world. Sunni Muslims:  85% Shia: shiat Ali:  Party of Ali, whom they believe was cheated out of Muhammed's legacy. Iraq as three countries:  Mosul--Kurd; Baghdad--Sunni: Basra--Shia.  Tyrant needed to hold "country" together (Saddam). Kurds make up parts of Syria, Turkey, and Iran. Also, Kurds aren't unified. Israel geography makes holding places like the Golan Heights crucial.  No Plan B if overrun. Palestinian state is not high on the priority list of Egypt, Syria, or Jordan--they would want part of the "new" country. Much of the West Bank is a mountain ridge--Israel does not want Jordan to control mountains (rocket fire) and so does not--understandably-- want to return West Bank. Main threat to Israel would be Syria

I'm reading this for free on my Nook.  Translation seems a little iffy sometimes (Danish), but it's a good story that moves along.  Dead body--apparently an accident.  Then going back to scene of dead body they find another dead body--definitely murder--and three abandoned children. Female cop with commitment issues.  Enjoyable--one chapter per day so that will be new.  Seems slow.

Narco thriller.  Actors:    Bryan Cranston ,  John Leguizamo ,  Diane Kruger   | Cranston, from Breaking Bad, infiltrates Pablo Escobar's drug empire.  He "follows the money," getting the goods on the bankers.  In the process, he is in constant danger along with his "wife," undercover agent played by Diane Krugr. Leguizamo is involved with the dealers, not the bankers. Cranston's main dilemma is the fact that he becomes friends with some of the drug dealers so feels as if he is a traitor when he turns them in. Based on true story.  Not bad at all, but not great either.  solid film

Shelley Winters, Elizabeth Taylor, Montgomery Clift Based on Dreiser novel.  2/3rds is quite good.  Clift enamored with the wealthy attractive Taylor after seducing Shelley Winters.  Once Clift is arrested, though, it becomes tedious. In this way it follows the book, which also dropped off once the trial started.  The drama is supposed to be:  Did he murder her or not.  Technically, maybe not.  But he planned to murder her and did nothing to rescue her.  He also behaved as if he had murdered her, so not much to sympathize with -- other than the fact he was killing her to be with Elizabeth Taylor!

Cradle of civilization, but dealt a raw deal geographically.Poor harbors; rivers marked by waterfalls. Rivers don't connect; hence  the people don't connect. Many languages; no dominant culture.  Most countries are artificial Western constructions. Conflicts ahead over water:  Ethiopia and Egypt. Chinese mining and building--strong influence with no concern over human rights or political corruption.

Western Europe Many languages and countries due to the geography of the region.  Pyrenees, for example, separate France from Spain.  Good rivers, though, with France being most fortunate.  Seine goes to Atlantic; Rhone to Med. Sea. Rivers do not connect as Missouri with Mississippi, so they form natural boundaries. Southern Europe is less fortunate.  Worse farmland, more drought, rockier, higher temps. Greece, Sicily, Spain.  The notion of lazy southerners comes entirely from geography which makes farming, for example, both difficult and less lucrative. Germany--poised between Russia and France has two options.  France has one.  French need peace and unity with Germany as they have little geographic protection. EU:  Fragile always.  Greeks resent German wealth. Germans resent Greek early retirement lifestyle. WWII looms in background. Kissinger:  When I want to talk to Europe, whom do I call? UK:  Island nation protected in m...

USA: great good fortune in geography.  Good harbors on both coasts. Access to both oceans. Mississippi River system--navigable, with navigable tributaries and no waterfalls (Africa is opposite).  Great farmland. Great   climate--cold enough to kill insects and thus reduce diseases like malaria. The USA is so blessed that Tim Marshall believes that reports of its decline are greatly exaggerated, like Twain's death.

Many geographical advantages.  Tibet as buffer that Chinese will not give up. Himalayas barrier against India. Desert & Mongolia buffer against Russia.  Russia's 144 million insignificant compared to Chinese 1 billion plus.  Waterways and navy--China wants control of  shipping lanes which will bring it into conflict with many neighbors, including Vietnam, Thailand, Phillipines, Japan.  Population, if growth slows or stops, could easily become restive.  #1 world power . . . eventually.