Crime Fiction Links of the Week for January 11, 2020

It's time again for Crime Fiction Links of the Week, our weekly round-up of interesting links about crime fiction from around the web, this week with the best crime fiction of 2019 and the decade, the suspension of Courtney Milan from RWA, Isaac Asimov at 100, a troll problem at Goodreads and much more.

Crime fiction in general:

• Crime Reads lists the most anticipated crime novels of 2020.
• Jess Lourey looks ahead at some of the crime and mystery series launching in 2020. 
• Crime Reads shares the best debut crime novels for January. 
• Lisa Levy shares five psychological thrillers to read this January.
• Charles Todd shares a brief history of strong women in mystery and crime fiction. 
• Alison Flood reports how women authors are entering the traditionally male dominated spy fiction genre.
• Laurie Faria Stolarz shares six novels about how people process trauma.
• Adam Hamdy discusses fiction's most manipulative masterminds. 
• Sterling Watson explains why writers love villains. 
• Sulari Gentill talks about reviving the traditional mystery for a 21st century audience.
• Eliza Carey talks about mysteries set between the two World Wars.
• Paul French takes a look at the crime fiction of St. Petersburg, Russia. 
• Michael Stanley shares a beginner's guide to African crime fiction.
• Helen Sedgwick explains why her new crime novel When the Dead Comes Calling is also a Brexit novel. 
• J.T. Ellison tries to explain the lure of the boarding school mystery.
• Graeme Macrae Burnett explains why they Inspector Maigret novels by Georges Simenon are still worth reading.
• Mike Ripley remembers M.C. Beaton.
• Mystery writer P.J. Nunn has died aged 63.
• Crime fiction writer Earl Staggs has died.
• Kaye Wilkinson Barley remembers Earl Staggs.
  

Best of lists:

• Tom Nolan shares his ten favourite crime novels of 2019.
• L.J. Roberts shares her favourite crime novels of 2019.
• Jeff Popple shares his favourite crime novels of 2019.
• Margie Bunting shares her favourite crime novels of 2019.
  

Comments on the suspension of Courtney Milan from RWA and the cancellation of the 2020 Rita Awards:

• Mike Glyer offers a round-up of the latest developments regarding the RWA mess.
• Mikki Kendall reports about the suspension of Courtney Milan from RWA. 
• Karen Grigsby Bates reports about the suspension of Courtney Milan from RWA.
• Lois Beckett interviews Kathryn Lynn Davis, the writer whose complaint led to the suspension of Courtney Milan from RWA. 
• Lois Beckett also reports about an earlier racism row inside RWA. 
• The 2020 Rita Awards have been cancelled due to the racism row. 
• Maureen Lee Lenker reports about the cancellation of the Ritas and the racism controversy in the RWA. 
• Concepción de León reports that various publishers have stated that they will no longer sponsor or appear at the RWA conference because of the racism controversy.  
• Damon Suede, president of the RWA, has finally resigned due to overwhelming pressure. 
• The inimitable Dr. Chuck Tingle responds to the RWA uproar and publishes Not Pounded By Romance Wranglers Of America Because Their New Leadership Is From The Depths Of The Endless Cosmic Void

Isaac Asimov at 100:

• James Gunn remembers Isaac Asimov on his 100th birthday. 
• Alec Nevala-Lee remembers Isaac Asimov in his 100th birthday, both his prolificness and his tendency to sexually harrass women. 

Film and TV:

• Camille LeBlanc lists the most anticipated crime shows of 2020. 
• Camille LeBlanc also offers a guide to the best crime TV in January.
• Lizzy Steiner shares eight true crime podcasts to listen to in 2020.
• Zach Vasquez calls the 2019 movie Serenity the strangest neo-noir in recent years and calls for a reappreciation.
• Peter Bradshaw calls Lullaby a strained and unsatisfying adaptation of Leila Slimani's eponamous novel. 
• Allison Shoemaker compares the French cop drama Les Misérables to the more famous Victor Hugo novel of the same title.
• Rebecca Nicholson calls You awful, sociopathic and utterly addictive.
• Lucy Mangan declares that the true crime series White House Farm wastes its star Stephen Graham. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Runaways a bumpy and uneven children's adventure film. 
• Aaron Bady shares his thoughts on the Watchmen TV series.  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Ray Donovan.
• Lucy Mangan calls Jonestown: Terror in the Jungle a harrowing documentary.
• Tim Dowling shares his thoughts on The Choir: Aylesbury Prison. 
• Adrian Horton shares his thoughts on Surviving R Kelly: Part II. 
• Nick Kolakowski traces the strange cinematic afterlife of Dashiell Hammett's 1929 crime novel Red Harvest.
• Nitsu Abebe explains why the most ridiculous part of The Irishman actually works. 
• Brian Greene revisits the 1971 horor thriller Let's Scare Jessica to Death.
• Daniel C. Dennett asks if HAL 9000 committed murder in 2001 - A Space Odyssey.
  
• Stacy Perman profiles John Zabrucky, who provided props to dozens of movies and TV episodes, including several iconic science fiction movies and TV shows. 
• Amy Spencer interviews Robert Downey Jr, star of Iron Man, Sherlock Holmes and Doolittle. 
• Jamie Lovett reports that William Shatner, best known for playing Captain James T. Kirk in Star Trek, surprised the LAPD on Christmas by playing Santa. 
• Benjamin Lee reports that Samatha Barbash, the real life inspiration for the movie Hustlers, has sued the producers for defamation.

Awards:

• The BBC reports that Lee Child will be one of the judges for the 2020 Booker Prize. 
• John Le Carré has been awarded the Olof Palme Prize for contributions to democracy.
• The winners of the 2020 Golden Globes have been announced with some love for crime works.
• The nominees for the 2020 BAFTA Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2020 BBC Audio Drama Awards have been announced with little love for genre dramas.
• The finalists for the 2020 VES Awards have been announced.
• The finalists for the 2020 Producer's Guild of America Awards have been announced.
  

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Mark Coker shares his indie publishing predictions for 2020. 
• B.A. Paris talks about her writing process.
• Regarding the many recent uproars in the writing world, David Gerrold reminds us that writers thrive when they support each other and that fights only take up valuable writing time. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about publishing, challenges and fear. 
• Dean Wesley Smith also talks about publishing, challenges and fear.
• Clare Thorp reports about the rise of audiobooks. 
• Graeme Ogston reports about the MLitt in Crime Writing and Forensic Investigation class at Dundee University in Dundee, Scotland.
• Cat Rambo talks about facilitating writing workshops.
• Camestros Felapton takes a deeper look at the Goodreads troll problem.
• Jason Sanford also talks about the Goodreads troll problem.
• Camestros Felapton points out that even after briefly cleaning up their platform, the Goodreads trolls are back in force and now they're doxxing people.
• Camestros Felapton also explains how to report an issue on Goodreads.
• Camestros Felapton offers another update on the Goodreads troll situation.
  

Interviews:

• John Wisniewski interviews Joe Clifford.
• E.B. Davis interviews Barbara Ross.
• Mystery People interview Joe Brandon.
  

Reviews:

• Crossexamining Crime reviews A Necessary Evil by Abir Mukherjee. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews In the Shadow of Vesuvius by Tasha Alexander. 
• BOLO Books reviews Long Bright River by Liz Moore.
• For Winter Nights reviews Silver by Chris Hammer.
• Mal McEwan reviews Cold Fear by Mads Peder Norbo, translated by Charlotte Barlsund
• Lesa Holstine reviews Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey. 
• BOLO Books reviews Unspeakable Things by Jess Lourey.
• John Valeri reviews Good Girls Lie by J.T. Ellison.
• Holly Williams reviews A Good Man by Ani Katz. 
• Sarah Ditum reviews A Good Man by Ani Katz.
• Lesa Holstine reviews Trouble in Mind by Michael Wiley. 
• Sara Collins reviews Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. 
• For Winter Nights reviews Three Hours by Rosamund Lupton. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews First Cut by Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell.
• Michael Patrick Hicks reviews True Crime by Samantha Kolesnik. 
• Jeff Popple reviews Rough Justice by Matt Hilton.
• Jeff Popple reviews Deep State by Chris Hauty.
• Hannah Beckerman reviews American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins 
• BOLO Books reviews The Missing American by Kwei Quartey.
• Kate Vane reviews Stasi Winter by David Young. 
• Anthony Cummins reviews QualityLand by Marc-Uwe Kling.  
• Martin Edwards reviews The Maltese Herring by L.C. Tyler. 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews Naked Came the Florida Man by Tim Dorsey. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews A Catered New Year's Eve by Isis Crawford and tries a recipe from the book. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Fatal Roots by Sheila Connolly.
• Michelle Mastro reviews Dead in Dublin by Catie Murphy
• Lesa Holstine reviews Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert. 
• Janet Webb reviews Bound for Murder by Victoria Gilbert.
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Case of the Spellbound Child by Mercedes Lackey.  
• Colleen Mondor reviews Missing, Presumed Dead by Emma Berquist.

Classics reviews:

• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1933 mystery Death in Fancy Dress by Anthony Gilbert.
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1937 suspense novel The Elephant Never Forgets by Ethel Lina White.
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1938 crime novel The Obstinate Murderer by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding.
• Wallace Stroby revisits the 1947 noir novel Waltz into Darkness by Cornell Woolrich. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1954 hardboiled novel I'll Get You Yet by James Howard.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1956 crime novel Cry Blood by Harry Verner Dixon.
• B.V. Lawson revisits The Midnight Plumber, a 1957 Inspector Martineau novel by Maurice Procter.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1966 spy novel The Spy Who Didn't by Jack Laflin. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits Billion Dollar Death, a 1974 novel in the black men's adventure series The Iceman by Joseph Nazel.
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1977 crime novel The Marriage Bureau Murders by John Bingham.
• Joe Kenney revisits Stiletto, a 1980 novel in the Springblade men's adventure series by Greg Walker.
• Joe Kenney revisits Deadly Silence, a 1980 novel in The Penetrator men's adventure series.
• Bitter Tea and Mystery revisits Death in Blue Folders, a 1985 Sigird Harold mystery by Margaret Maron.
  

Crowdfunding:

• Authors For Firey is a Twitter auction organised by various authors to support the Australian firefighters.
  

Con reports:

• Ayo Onatade offers an overview of crime fiction events in the first few months of 2020.
• Ayo Onatade looks ahead at the 2020 Murder Will Out event in Cambridge, UK.
• Ayo Onatade shares some information about the 2020 St. Hilda's College Crime Fiction Weekend in Oxford, UK, and reports that one of the guests will be Andrew Wilson.
  

Research:

• Jerome Preisler explains why the New York City subway system is about to become the perfect spot for cybercrime.
• Judy Melinek and T.J. Mitchell share five fun forensic facts.
• Jimmy McCloskey reports about a police robot in Los Angeles, California, which completely failed at its job and told a woman trying to report a crime to go away, before breaking into song. 

Free online fiction:

• "Blackout" by Luke Foster in Crimson Streets.
• "Eulogy" by Paul J. Garth in Shotgun Honey.
• "Vin Scully Eyes" by Nolan Knight in Tough.
• "Can of Worms" by Paul Matts in Punk Noir Magazine.
• "Why I don't remember my Aunt Letty" by E.F. Fluff in Punk Noir Magazine.
• "Mittens and the Economist" by E.F. Fluff in Punk Noir Magazine.
• "To the Fordham" by Samuel R. Delany in Boston Review (warning: explicit content).
  
• "Oklahoma's Open Carry Law" by Robert Cooperman in The Five-Two.
• "Models" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Hunters.
• Watch a trailer for Chanson douce a.k.a. Lullaby.
• Watch a trailer for Birds of Prey.