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HBO and BBC have partnered to bring Parade’s End, based on Ford Madox Ford’s classic modernist tetralogy, to the screen in a new five-part miniseries that will premiere in the US on February 26th on HBO. Ford’s novels, published separately between 1924 and 1928, were first combined and reissued as Parade’s End in 1950. The story follows Christopher Tietjens, the wealthy heir to the estate of Groby, who is serving in the British army during World War I. Christopher’s personal life is complicated by a love triangle. He is torn between his socialite wife Sylvia, who Graham Greene called "surely the most possessed evil character in the modern novel," and his suffragette mistress Valentine. Rather than focusing on the upstairs/downstairs themes of Downton Abbey, Parade’s End portrays a broader view of England and the English gentry around World War I. Parade’s End is a challenging but worthwhile read. The New Yorker’s Ian Crouch calls the novel “The Better Downton Abbey,” citing the characters’ sharper edges and the novel’s drama that excels where he feels Downton Abbey has begun to fall flat.

The miniseries was adapted for the small screen by Sir Tom Stoppard. Director Susanna White says that Parade’s End, which was commissioned before the Downton Abbey craze, is its own unique take on the time period.  Get a sneak peak at this critically-acclaimed drama, featuring the BBC’s Sherlock’s Benedict Cumberbatch as Christopher, here.

Fans of the gripping BBC drama Luther will welcome the opportunity to meet an early incarnation of tormented Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) John Luther in Luther: The Calling. Readers meeting Luther for the first time will be quickly intrigued by this dedicated detective and head to the DVD shelves to grab copies of the first two seasons. Neil Cross, author of this prequel, is also the show’s creator and sole writer. Fans of the show know that the television series begins with the end of a ghastly case. The novel opens at that case’s inception which involves the savage murders of a young husband and his eight months pregnant wife, as well as the removal of the baby who may still be alive. This investigation and other horrific events lead Luther to an ethical cliff as the novel moves at a rapid pace toward a conclusion that coincides with the opening of episode one of the show.

At the heart of both the compelling series and this gripping, psychological thriller is Luther, a tormented investigator struggling with demons, including rage against the violent perpetrators he encounters. Luther is dedicated to his job to the point of self-annihilation, and his single-mindedness threatens his health and his marriage. His wife, Zoe, has always managed to keep Luther balanced. But lately, their relationship has been off kilter and Luther refuses to take time off to rest and repair. Zoe looks elsewhere for intimacy, while Luther continues in his blind quest to destroy evildoers.

As readers travel through some of the seamier sides of London, there is plenty of action, including graphic violence not for the squeamish. John Luther’s unique character will continue to develop as Cross is hard at work on a new Luther novel and filming of season three of the series starring the delectable and dashing Idris Elba is underway.