Crime Fiction Links of the Week for July 17, 2021

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 Black Widow, Leverage: Redemption, Gunpowder Milkshake, season 7 of Bosch, Pig, Flag Day, Heist, Escape Room: Tournament of Champions and much more.

Crime fiction in general:

• Alison Flood offers a round-up of the best recent thrillers.
  
• Crime Reads shares ten new crime novels coming out this week. 
• Lisa Levy shares some psychological thrillers to read this month.
  
• The Daily Express asks several thriller authors about the inspiration for their characters. 
• Grady Hendrix lists the most memorable and ridiculous serial killers in literature.
  
• Grady Hendrix talks about crime books written from the POV of serial killers. 
• Cameron Kimball shares eight historical thrillers from around the world.
  
• Megan Miranda talks about the gothic legacy of the modern suburban thriller. 
• Holly Danvers shares a beginner's guide to waterfront cozies.
  
• Laura Scott lists cozy mystery series about crime-fighting pets. 
• Peter Abrahams explains how writing dog mysteries helped him find happiness. 
• Esme Addison shares her favourite magical cozy mysteries.
  
• Elaine Murphy shares seven crime novels that aspiring crime fiction writers can learn from. 
• John David Mann wonders why nice and peaceful people write bloody crime novels.
  
• Peter Mohlin and Peter Nystrom discuss the popularity of the prepaid unregistered cellphone as a plot device in Swedish crime fiction and how new legislation is endangering it. 
• John Fram shares his appreciation for the works of Dick Francis.
  
• Steph Cha shares her appreciation for Dolores Hitchens' detective hero James Sader.
  
• J. Kingston Pierce wonders why so many crime fiction covers feature snowy forests.
  

Film and TV:

• Jesse Hassenger declares that the Australian crime drama The Dry proves that you don't need ten episodes to tell a good small town mystery.
  
• Lucy Mangan calls Lie With Me a thriller dud from Down Under.
  
• Paul Levinson calls the Belgian crime series Professor T. Sherlock Holmes by another name. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Nitram a deeply disturbing drama about the mass killer Martin Bryant.
  
• Joshua Alston declares that Dr. Death is a fine adaptation of the popular true crime podcast. 
  
• A.A. Dowd calls Quo Vadis Aida? a hut-wrenching war drama.
  
• Leslie Felperin calls Werewolves Within a witty horror whodunnit.
  
• Phuong Le calls Plurality a simple-minded multiple identity science fiction thriller from Taiwan.
• Gwen Ihnat shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Why Women Kill. 
  
• Juan Barquin shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Lisey's Story. 
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on season 3 of Virgin River.
  
• Anthony Morris shares his appreciation for the characters "Crate" and "Barrel" in Bosch. 
• Olivia Rutigliano ranks the thirty best diner scenes in crime movies.
  
• Joel Zakem shares his thoughts on the documentary Walter Tevis: A Writer's Gambit. 
  
• Keith Roysdon shares the strangest US TV movie thrillers from the 1970s, many of them with supernatural elements. 
  
• Television's New Frontier revisits the 1962 crime series The Untouchables.
  
• The Classic Film and TV Café revisits the 1972 spy movie The Delphi Bureau.
  
• Scott Tobias revisits the 1981 dystopian science fiction crime movie Escape From New York for its 40th anniversary.  
• Emine Saner interviews Fiona Shaw, star of Killing Eve, The Missing and Baptiste.
  
• The Spy Command remembers Richard Donner's television work. 
• Michael Schneider reports that NBC has cancelled the proposed Law & Order spin-off For the Defense in favour of another Law & Order spin-off.
  
• Actor Charlie Robinson, who played court clerk Mac in Night Court, has died aged 75.
  

 

Comments on Leverage: Redemption:

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Leverage: Redemption a successful revival of the beloved heist show. 
  
• Danette Chavez declares that Leverage: Redemption has all the heists, fun and nerdy repartee of the original.
  

 

Comments on Black Widow: 

• Ben Child calls Black Widow a gender-swapped James Bond movie. 
• Emmet Asher-Perrin declares that Black Widow outdoes every (male) Avenger and somehow makes it look easy.
  
• Katie Rife, A.A. Dowd and Alex McLevy discuss how Black Widow both adhere to and breaks away from the Marvel formula. 
• Katie Rife declares that the best parts of  Black Widow are all about family. 
• Abigail Nussbaum shares her thoughts on Black Widow. 
• Chelsea Steiner declares that the women of Black Widow have an accountability problem.
  
• Margaret Dunlap explains how she experienced the long wait for Black Widow to finally hit our screens.
• Alex McLevy talks about the post-credits scene of Black Widow.
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw also discusses the post-credits scene of Black Widow.
• Germain Lussier talks about the character of Taskmaster in Black Widow. 
• Charles Pulliam-Moore discusses the sexy battle poses in Black Widow.
  
• Kate Aurthur interviews Scarlett Johanssen and Florence Pugh, stars of Black Widow. 
• Michael Cavna interviews Cate Shortland and David Harbour, director and one of the stars of Black Widow.
  
• Ryan Parker reports that actor Stephen Dorff, who appeared in Blade II, declared his dislike for superhero movies in general and Black Widow in particular. 
• Sam Barsanti reports that Black Widow made sixty million US-dollar on Disney Plus alone. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that Black Widow is a success both in cinemas and on streaming.
  

 

Comments on Gunpowder Milkshake: 

• Caroline Siede calls Gunpowder Milkshake a better Jackie Chan than John Wick homage. 
• Richard Whittaker calls Gunpowder Milkshake a stylish but forgettable action thriller. 
• Marah Eakin interviews Angela Bassett, Michelle Yeoh and Carla Gugino, three of the stars of Gunpowder Milkshake.

 

Comments on season 7 of Bosch: 

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on season 7 of Bosch, which he calls the best cop drama on TV. 
  
• Sandra Mangan says goodbye to Bosch and hello to a Bosch spin-off.
• Jamie Burton interviews Michael Connelly on whose novels Bosch is based.
• Dan Reilly interviews Titus Welliver, star of Bosch.
  

 

Comments on Pig:

• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw calls Pig a strange and sensitive response to John Wick style revenge thrillers.
• Benjamin Lee calls Pig a meditative twist on the typical revenge thriller.
• Mike D'Angelo calls Pig much richer and stranger than the simple revenge thriller it appears to be.
• Gabrielle Paiella interviews Nicholas Cage, star of Pig.
  

 

Comments on Flag Day:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Flag Day a stylish thriller about an unrepentant con man. 
• Xan Brooks interviews Dylan Penn, star of Flag Day.
  

 

Comments on Heist:

• Rebecca Nicholson calls Heist a sexed-up crime spree extravaganza. 
• Inspired by Heist, Charles Bramesco wonders why viewers are so obsessed with heists. 
  

 

Comments on Escape Room: Tournament of Champions:

• Benjamin Lee calls Escape Room: Tournament of Champions a fun puzzle horror sequel.
  
• Jesse Hassenger calls Tournament of Champions an Escape Room sequel that doesn't amount to much. 

 

Awards: 

• The winners of the 2021 ITW Thriller Awards have been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2021 Ngaio Marsh Awards has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2021 Emmy Awards have been announced with some love for crime TV. 
• Kelsey Sutton explains that streaming services have taken over TV awards. 
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Kellie Doherty shares some advice for creating villains. 
• Maxim Jakubowski explains why he writes both crime fiction and SFF.
  
• Rhiannon Lucy Coslett chronicles the renewed debate about the short story "Cat Person" by Kristen Roupenian.
• Mystery Writers of America announce the Barbara Neely scholarship, to be awarded to a black writer of crime fiction.
  

 

Interviews:

• Allen Pierleoni interviews Karin Slaughter.
  
• Paul Burke interviews Laura Lippman. 
• John Parker interviews John Connolly.
  
• Suzi Feay interviews Christopher Fowler.
• Nancie Clare interviews Susan Elia MacNeal.
• Eli Cranor interviews Jordan Harper.
• Brad Shreve interviews Christopher Murphy.
• Debbi Mack interviews Richard Meredith.
• Alan Petersen interviews Jeffrey James Higgins.  
• Ayo Onatade interviews Carolyn Kirby. 
• Miriam Parker interviews Katie Crouch. 
• Marshal Zeringue interviews Julia Buckley. 
• Lisa Haselton interviews Monique Gliozzi.
  
• Suspense Magazine interviews Riley Sager.
• Ayo Onatade interviews Philip Gooden.
• The Red Hot Chilli Writers interview Amit Dhand and Tariq Ashkani.
• Stephen J. Golds interviews Mark SaFranko.
• Stephen J. Golds interviews Gabriel Hart.
  

Reviews:

• Janet Webb reviews Fallen by Linda Castillo.
  
• Adam Sternbergh reviews Razorblade Tears by S.A. Cosby.
• Locky Loves Books reviews A Cut for a Cut by Carol Wyer. 
• John Parker reviews The Nameless Ones by John Connolly. 
• BOLO Books reviews The Stranger Behind You by Carol Goodman.
• Janet Webb reviews Runner by Tracy Clark. 
• Andrew Hill reviews Down by the Water by Elle Connel. 
• Adam Colclough reviews The Rising Tide by Sam Lloyd.
  
• No More Grumpy Bookseller reviews Falling by T.J. Newman.
• BOLO Books reviews A Gingerbread House by Catriona McPherson.
• P.J. Coldren reviews Hairpin Bridge by Taylor Adams.
  
• Amy Myers reviews The Hollows by Mark Edwards.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Where the Missing Gather by Helen Sedgwick. 
• Sandra Mangan reviews The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman.
  
• Pile by the Bed reviews When You Are Mine by Michael Robotham.
  
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews The Girl Who Died by Ragnar Jónasson, translated by Victoria Cribb.
  
• Sarah Weinman reviews People Like Them by Samira Sedira and The Comfort of Monsters by Willa C. Richards. 
• Maureen Carlyle reviews The Murder Box by Olivia Kiernan.
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Parting Glass by Lissa Marie Redmond. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Last Commandment by Scott Shepherd.
• Garrick Webster reviews The Therapist by Helene Flood. 
• Ayo Onatade reviews Kiss the Detective by Elmer Mendoza. 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Heartbreak Incorporated by Alex de Campi.  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews Little Rebel by Jérôme Leroy, translated by Graham Roberts.
• Liv Groskop reviews Ceremony of Innocence by Madeleine Bunting.
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews Last Flight to Stalingrad by Graham Hurley.
  
• Ayo Onatade reviews Mammon in Malmö by Torquil MacLeod. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Nantucket Penny by Steven Axelrod.
  
• Carol Westron reviews Brass Lives by Chris Nickson.
  
• Stephen Thornley reviews A Corruption of Blood by Ambrose Perry. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Ghost Blows a Kiss by Carolyn Hart. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Silence in the Library by Katharine Schellman.  
• Angie Barry reviews Silence in the Library by Katharine Schellman. 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry. 
• A.B. Endecott reviews The 22 Murders of Madison May by Max Barry. 
  
• Rafe McGregory reviews Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney.
• Beth Kanell reviews Midnight, Water City by Chris McKinney.
• Paul Weimer reviews Assassin's Orbit by John Appel.
• Nick Kolakowski reviews Once Upon a Time in Hollywood by Quentin Tarantino.
  
• Ayo Onatade reviews Writing in Ice: A Crime Writer's Guide to Iceland by Michael Ridpath. 
• Kirkus reviews The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb. 
• Publishers Weekly reviews The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean. 
• Dana Gitig reviews The Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science by Sam Kean. 
  
• Ayo Onatade reviews Murder: The Biography by Kate Morgan.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1936 mystery The Bath Mysteries by E.R. Punshon.
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1962 mystery The Killing of Francie Lake a.k.a. The Plain Man by Julian Symons.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1965 gothic romance Fog Island by Marilyn Ross a.k.a. William Edward Daniel Ross.
• Janice Marcus revisits the 1966 science fiction detective novel Sybil Sue Blue by Rosel George Brown.
• B.V. Lawson revisits the 1966 mystery Trouble with Product X a.k.a. Beware of the Bouquet by Joan Aiken.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1974 thriller Mr. Majestyk by Elmore Leonard. 
• Bruce Riordan revisits the 1974 war novel Dog Soldiers by Robert Stone.
  
• Joe Kenney revisits The London Switch, a 1974 novel in the Pulsar spy fiction series by Robin Moore and Al Dempsey.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1978 thriller The Hunters by Clark Howard. 

 

Con and event reports:

• Literaturmagazin Bremen shares the program of the 2021 Prime Time - Crime Time festival in Bremen, Germany, and interviews Perdita Krämer who runs the festival.
• Literaturmagazine Bremen also interviews Jürgen Albers, founder of Prime Time - Crime Time.
  

 

Research:

• Dean Jobb profiles Victorian era serial killer Dr. Thomas Neill Cream.
  
• Elizabeth Greenwood profiles women who seek relationships with prisoners.
• Emily Arsenault talks about the poltergeist phenomenon and its links to angry teenaged girls.
  

Free online fiction:

• "Anticipation" by Michael A. Raithel in Shotgun Honey. 
• "Family Business" by Miranda Dahlin in Shotgun Honey.
• "Out to Pasture" by Margaret Karmazin in Tough. 
  
• "Wolftown" by Isaac Menuza in Punk Noir Magazine. 
• "The Whisper of Shadows" by D.V. Bennett in Over My Dead Body.
• "Fables of Faubus" by Mike Aaron in Mystery Tribune.
• "A Daughter Remembers Her Fathher" by Charles Rammelkamp in The Five-Two.
• "Paperwork to Come" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for The Toll.
• Watch a compilation trailer for Masterpiece Mystery.