Crime Fiction Links of the Week for March 14, 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 season 8 of Homeland, season 2 of The Sinner, season 2 of Altered Carbon, Devs, The Outsider, Bloodshot, My Spy, The Hunt, tributes to Max von Sydow and Barbara Neely and much more.

Crime fiction in general:

• Molly Odintz shares the best historical mysteries and crime novels of 2020 so far.
• Peter Swanson discusses what crime novels can teach us about getting away with murder. 
• The Real Book Spy shares nine recent thrillers to enjoy. 
• Crime Reads shares five true crime books to read this March.
• Joe Jakeman discusses the appeal of the seaside mystery.
• Paul French talks about crime fiction set in Saigon a.k.a. Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. 
• Katie Orphan lists the essential crime novels of Los Angeles, California.
• Katie Orphan looks for the Los Angeles of James M. Cain's noir novels. 
• Stuart Franklin profiles James Ellroy.
• Mark Coggins shares some photos of the San Francisco locations of his latest novel The Dead Beat Scroll. 
• Concepción de León reports about the episode of Oprah's Book Club discussing the controversial novel American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. 
• The Strad remembers 19th century violinist William C. Honeyman who may have inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to create Sherlock Holmes.
• Carolyn McKay remembers the bright green covers of Penguin's crime fiction line. 
• George Gene Gustines takes a look at Batman's many Robins for the boy wonder's 80th anniversary.

Tributes to Barbara Neely:

• Mystery writer and the 2020 MWA Grand Master Barbara Neely has died aged 78.
• Janet Rudolph remembers Barbara Neely.
• The MWA remembers Barbara Neely.
  

Film and TV:

• Keith Royston declares that Spenser Confidential is not your father's Spenser and isn't even in fact Robert B. Parker's Spenser.
• Foz Meadows compares Knives Out and Ready or Not.
• Dwyer Murphy calls Briarpatch the coolest show on TV. 
• William Hughes shares his thoughts on the Agatha Christie adaptation The Pale Horse.
• Donna Bowman shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Better Call Saul.
• LaToya Ferguson shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
• Mike D'Angelo shares his thoughts on the true crime drama Lost Girls. 
• Victor Methos discusses how the popularity of shows like CSI is distorting the US justice system. 
• Stuart Heritage takes a look at the mayor in the 1975 disaster movie Jaws and wonders what his character means for our times. 
• Olivia Rutigliano remembers that Raymond Chandler originally wanted Cary Grant to play Philip Marlowe.
• Anne Bilson wonders why black cowboys are so much rarer in movies than they were in reality. 
• The BBC reports that the upcoming Fast and Furious 9 movie has also been postponed due to corona virus fears.

Tributes to Max von Sydow:

• Swedish actor Max von Sydow, best known for The Seventh Seal, Flash Gordon, The Exorcist, The Force Awakens, Game of Thrones, Never Say Never, The Three Days of the Condor and many others, has died aged 90.  
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Max von Sydow.
• Robert Berkvist remembers Max von Sydow.
• Beth Elderkin remembers the many genre roles of Max von Sydow.
• Ben Child also remembers the many genre roles of Max van Sydow.
• The BBC remembers eight of Max von Sydow's most famous roles.
  

Comments on season 8 of Homeland:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Homeland.
• Scott von Doviak shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Homeland.
  

Comments on season 2 of The Sinner:

• Matt Cabral shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Sinner.
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Sinner.
• Alex McLevy shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Sinner.
  

Comments on Devs:

• Jill Pantozzi calls Devs a messy trip filled with intriguing concepts.
• Swapna Krishna shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Devs.
  

Comments on season 2 of Altered Carbon:

• Beth Elderkin shares seven things she liked and three things she didn't about season 2 of Altered Carbon.
• Beth Elderkin interviews Simone Missick, one of the stars of Altered Carbon.
  

Comments on The Outsider:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Outsider.
• Allison Shoemaker shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Outsider.
• Zack Budryk takes a look at The Outsider and the evolution of the mildly autistic super-detective.
  

Comments on Bloodshot:

• A.A. Dowd calls Bloodshot dumb fun pretending to be smart science fiction. 
• Charles Bramesco calls Bloodshot brainless action schlock. 

Comments on My Spy:

• Mike McCahill calls My Spy a mildly diverting family film.  
• Amelia Tait wonders why action movies pairing muscle-bound action stars and cute kids are so popular. 

Comments on The Hunt:

• Adrian Horton declares that The Hunt is more hype than horror. 
• Katie Rife calls The Hunt an anaemic political comedy wrapped in a blood-soaked thriller. 
• A.A. Dowd and Katie Rife discuss The Hunt.

Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2020 Hammett Prize has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2020 Lambda Literary Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the 2019 Australian Romance Readers Awards have been announced. 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Tessa Wegert explains how to write a mystery when every plot is taken. 
• Christi Daugherty talks about the inspiration behind her crime novel Revolver Road.
• Emily Elgar talks about the difficulties of writing a novel about Münchhausen by proxy syndome while pregnant.
• John McMahon talk about the importance of letting your main character take a beating on occasion. 
• Sarah Maria Griffin explains how she learned storytelling from videogames.
• Jessica Moor talks about researching her crime novel The Keeper.
• John Lawton talks about researching historical fiction. 
• Marty Ambrose explains how she researches her historical crime novels.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch talks about some recent issues in the publishing world. 
• Camestros Felapton and ErsatzCulture discuss more fake account shenangigans going on at Goodreads.
• Josh Cook shares ten ways to support your indie bookstore through the corona crisis.
  

Interviews:

• Alex Clark interviews Sebastian Barry. 
• Michael Koryta and Alma Katsu interview each other.
• Scott Montgomery interviews Jason Pinter.
• Caroline Kepnes and Ani Katz itnerview each other.
• Fiona Sturges interviews Kate Elizabeth Russell.
  
• Lesa Holstine interviews Kaye Wilkinson Barley.
• Jason Whiton interviews Ian Dickerson.
  

Reviews:

• Joules Barham reviews Containment by Vanda Symon.
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson. 
• For Winter Nights reviews Rules for Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson.
• BOLO Books reviews Eight Perfect Murders by Peter Swanson.
• Lesa Holstine reviews A Murderous Relation by Deanna Raybourn.
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Dunraven Hoard Murders by James C. Work.
• Alison Ziegler reviews Let Me Die in His Footsteps by Lori Roy.
• Mystery Tribune reviews Running Out of Road by Daniel Friedman.
• Janet Webb reviews Hammer to Fall by John Lawton. 
• Clarissa Sebag-Montefiore reviews Below Deck by Sophie Hardcastle.
• Jenny Maloney reviews Blame the Dead by Ed Ruggero.
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Bramble and the Rose by Tom Bouman. 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews Pele's Domain by Albert Tucher.
• Doreen Sheridan reviews My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell. 
• Bitter Tea and Mystery reviews The Expats by Chris Pavone.
• Louis Bravos reviews The Coldest Warrior by Paul Vidich.
• Thomas J. Millay reviews Agency by William Gibson. 
• Kat Hooper and Ryan Skardal review Agency by William Gibson.  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Good, the Bad and the Little Bit Stupid by Marina Lewycka.
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke and tries a recipe from the book. 
• Gary K. Wolfe reviews Catfishing on CatNet by Naomi Kritzer and Stray Bats by Margo Lanagan.  
• Paul Burke reviews Revolution and Counter Culture in Pulp Fiction, 1950 to 1980, edited by Andrew Nette and Iain McIntyre.

Classics reviews:

• Chris McGinley revisits Edgar Huntly, or Memoirs of a Sleepwalker by Charles Brockden Brown, America's first crime novel published 1798.
• Crossexaming Crime revisits the 1927 Anthony Bathurst mystery The Billiard Room Mystery by Brian Flynn.
  
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1935 mystery Death of a Queen by Christopher St. John Sprigg.
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1936 inverted mystery Good by Stealth by Henrietta Clandon a.k.a. Hazlette Vahey.
• Don Briago revisits the 1944 near future thriller The Delicate Ape by Dorothy B. Hughes.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1950 psychological thriller Hell-Bent for Danger by Walt Grove. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1951 Johnny Liddell detective novel Bullet Proof by Frank Kane.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1952 crime novel Recoil by Jim Thompson. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1955 crime novel The Tooth and the Nail by Bill S. Ballinger.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1957 adventure novel High Cage a.k.a. High Hell by Steve Frazee.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1959 crime novel The Captive by Norman Daniels a.k.a. Norman Danberg. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1959 crime novel The Captain Must Die by Robert Colby.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1960 crime novel Killing Cousins by Fletcher Flora. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1962 mystery Hell for Heather by Pat Flower.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1967 crime novel The Tease by Gil Brewer. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1969 mystery Ladyfingers by Shepard Rifkin. 
• James McGrath Morris revisits the 1970 Joe Leaphorn mystery The Blessing Way by Tony Hillerman.
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1972 novel Tropical Detective Story by Raymond Mungo.
• Paperback Warrior revisits Tower of Terror, a 1982 novel in the Able Team men's adventure series by Dick Stivers a.k.a. L.R. Payne. 
• Joe Kenney revisits Beirut Retaliation, a 1985 novel in The Specialist men's adventure series by John Cutter. 
• B.V. Lawson revisits the 1992 anthology Victorian Tales of Mystery & Detection, edited by Michael Cox. 

Crowdfunding:

• The Queer Writers of Color Relief Fund is collecting donations to benefit LGBTQ writers of colour who have been affected by event cancellations due to the corona virus.
• The Seattle Artists Relief Fund is looking for donations to help artists in the eattle region affected by event cancellations due to the corona virus.
  

Con and event reports:

• Ayo Onatade looks ahead at the Golden Age of Crime Weekend at the Essex Book Festival in Southend-on-Sea, UK. 
• A.A. Dowd reports about the True/False Film Festival in Columbia, Missouri.
• J. Kingston Pierce reports that the Left Coast Crime festival in San Diego, California, has been cancelled because of corona virus worries.  
• B.V. Lawson offers an overview over more crime fiction conferences that have been cancelled due to the corona virus.
• Mike Glyer offers an overview of conventions that have been cancelled, rescheduled or will go ahead due to the corona virus. 
• Mike Glyer shares even more news about conventions which have been cancelled or rescheduled due to corona virus fears. 
• Michael Cader reports that Book Expo and Book Con in New York City will go ahead in spite of corona virus fears.

Research:

• Nathaniel Popper investigates if you can really hire a hitman on the dark web.
• Curtis Evans reports about a wave of anonymous harrassing letters in the early twentieth century.
• Lauren Markham reports about the case of Christina Boyer, convicted of killing her daughter.
• Graham Bartlett talks about the case of child killer Russell Bishop and the difficulties of bringing him to justice.
• George Szirtes reports about the Turkish poet İlhan Çomak who has been in prison for 26 years for a crime he did not commit.
• Deanna Raybourn discusses royal scandals through the centuries.
• Kris Vyas-Myall traces the history of pirate radio in the UK and continental Europe.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Real Amish" by Jason Butkowski in Shotgun Honey. 
• "Walker's Hollow" by John Floyd in Tough.
• "The Canyon Killer" by Curtis Ippolito in Mystery Tribune. 
• "The Soldier" by Mark McConville in Punk Noir Magazine.
• "Advisors at Naptime" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
• "The Bad Apple" by David Hewson.
• "And Seek" by Alex Z. Salinas in Punk Noir Magazine.
• "Cadillac Prey" by Rena J. Worley in The Five-Two.
  

Odds and ends: 

• Watch a trailer for Black Widow. 
• Watch a trailer for Home Before Dark.