Crime Fiction Links of the Week for January 1, 2022

 

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 mysteries, crime novels and thrillers of 2021, Dexter: New Blood, Hawkeye, tributes to Andrew Vachss and Betty White and much more.

Crime fiction in general:

• William Burton McCormick hosts a roundtable discussion on crime novellas.
  
• James Reasoner profiles pulp era horror and thriller author John H. Knox.
• io9 remembers the creative and inspiring people we lost in 2021. 
  
• Crime fiction writer, comic writer and lawyer Andrew Vachss died aged 79.
• Claus Leggewie remembers Andrew Vachss.
  

 

Best of 2021:

• Garrick Webster shares his favourite crime novels of 2021.
  
• Erin Britton shares her favourite crime novels of 2021. 
• Lesa Holstine shares her favourite mysteries and other books of 2021.
• Beneath the Stains of Time shares their favourite mystery reads of 2021.
• Runalong the Shelves shares his favourite reads of 2022. 
  
• B.V. Lawson shares her favourite non-fiction crime books of 2021.
• Fraser Massey analyses various year's best lists to determine which were the most popular crime novels of 2021.
  

 

Film and TV: 

• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel shares their thoughts on the Death in Paradise 2021 Christmas Special. 
• Lucy Mangan calls Stay Close an irresistible thriller.
  
• Cath Clarke calls Naked Singularity a bizarre apocalyptic legal thriller that not even John Boyega can save.  
• Rebecca Nicholson calls the BBC's latest version of Around the World in 80 Days a big, lively and timely adaptation of the classic Jules Verne novel.  
  
• Cristina Escobar calls season 4 of Cobra Kai another winning combo of silly and earnest. 
• Paul Levinson calls True Story truly excellent.
  
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the Finnish crime drama Bordertown: The Mural Murders.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the season 2 finale of Hightown. 
• Chris Feil shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Landscapers. 
• Saloni Gajjar calls Crime Scene: The Times Square Killer an overly sensationalised true crime documentary.
  
• Mark Lawson interviews Sean Bean, star of Time, Game of Thrones and many others.
  
• Jonathan Romney interviews Richard Jenkins, one of the stars of Nightmare Alley. 
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Johnny Flynn, star of Operation Mincemeat and The Talented Mr. Ripley.
  
• Ben Child wonders whether The Batman can challenge Marvel's dominance of the superhero genre. 
  
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1973 suspense film Don't Look Now.
  
• Jean-Marc Vallée, director of The Dallas Buyers Club, Big Little Lies, Sharp Objects and many others has died aged only 58. 

 

Tributes to Betty White:

• Legendary actress and comedian Betty White has died aged 99, shortly before her 100th birthday.
• The BBC shares an obituary for Betty White.
• Linda Holmes remembers Betty White.
• Rhi Storer remembers Betty White.
  

 

Comments on Hawkeye, Spider-Man: No Way Home and the Marvel Cinematic Universe in general (spoilers): 

• Bonnie McDaniel shares her thoughts on "So This Is Christmas", the season 1 finale of Hawkeye.
• Cora Buhlert shares her thoughts on "So This Is Christmas". 
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on Hawkeye and Spider-Man: No Way Home. 
  
• Sam Barsanti notes that it is frustratingly unclear whether Hawkeye takes place in the same universe as the Marvel Netflix shows.
• Justin Carter discusses the return of Wilson Fisk a.k.a. Kingpin as portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio.

 

Comments on Dexter: New Blood:

• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dexter: New Blood.
• Joshua Alston shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dexter: New Blood.
  

 

Awards:

• The winners of the 2021 Deutscher Krimipreis have been announced.
  
• The winner of the 2021 Crime Reprint of the Year Award has been announced.
• The winner of the 2021 Darth Vader Parenthood Award for Outstandingly Horrible Fictional Parents has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2021 Jonathan and Martha Kent Fictional Parent of the Year have been announced.  
• The winner of the 2022 Sankofa Freedom Award has been announced.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Kat Morris shares the one question to ask that will save your novel. 
• Vera Tobin discusses the art of the plot twist.
  
• Greta Hayer lists five things to do while querying your novel.
• Don Blyly shares an update about the state of the Uncle Edgar's and Uncle Hugo's bookstores in Minneapolis, Minnesota, which were burned down by vandals during the protests following the death of George Floyd due to police brutality.
• Tom Ambrose reports that New Beacon Books, the UK's first black specialty bookstore, is closing after 55 years due to financial difficulties.
  

 

Interviews: 

• The Red Hot Chilli Writers interview Antti Tuomainen and Tracy Fenton.
• Debbi Mack interviews Rod Sadler.
• Wrong Place, Write Crime interviews Michael Penncavage.
• Punk Noir Magazine interviews Scott Cumming.
  

Reviews:

• Tony R. Cox reviews The Night Caller by Martina Murphy.
  
• The Quick and the Read reviews Nobody But Us by Laure Van Rensburg,
• Kevin Tipple reviews Gated Prey by Lee Goldberg.
  
• BOLO Books reviews The Sorority Murder by Allison Brennan.  
• The Quick and the Read reviews You'll Be the Death of Me by Karen McManus.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Autopsy by Patricia Cornwell. 
• The Quick and the Read reviews The Twyford Code by Janice Hallett. 
• Jeff Foust reviews The Apollo Murders by Chris Hadfield.  
• Ian Mond reviews The Second Shooter by Nick Mamatas.
  
• Stephen J. Golds reviews The Right Madness by James Crumley.
  
• Adam Colclough reviews Quicksilver by Dean Koontz.
  
• Stephen J. Golds reviews The Outsider by Stephen King.
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews A Murder Inside by Frances Brody. 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery novel reviews The Five False Suicides by James Scott Byrnside.
  
• Kevin Tipple reviews Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson. 
• Crossexamining Crime reviews Christmas Calamity at the Vicarage by Emily Organ.
  
• Adam-Troy Castro reviews The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward and The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix. 
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Mysterious Bookshop Presents the Best Mystery Stories of the Year 2021, edited by Lee Child.
• Lesa Holstine reviews A Surprise for Christmas and Other Seasonal Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards. 
• Houman Barekat reviews Cop by Valentin Gendrot.
• Stephen J. Golds reviews El Narco: The Bloody Rise of Mexican Drug Cartels by Ioan Grillo.
• Crossexamining Crime reviews Plots and Gunpowder: A Personal Biography of Thriller Writer Gerald Verner by Chris Verner

 

Classics reviews:

• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1937 mystery Octagon House by Phoebe Atwood Taylor. 
• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1949 Mr. and Mrs. North mystery The Dishonest Murderer by Frances and Richard Lockridge.
  
• Beneath the Stains of Time revisits the 1958 mystery The Finishing Stroke by Ellery Queen. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1960 detective novel Scandalize My Name by Fiona Sinclair.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1964 Travis McGee crime novel The Deep Blue Good-by by John D. MacDonald. 
• Joe Kenney revisits The Chinese Paymaster, a 1967 novel in the Nick Carter: Killmaster men's adventure series.
  
• Beneath the Stains of Time revisits the 1972 heist novel A Tough One to Lose by Tony Kenrick.
• Paperback Warrior revisits Go Die in Afghanistan!, a 1982 novel in The Butcher men's adventure series by Stuart Jason a.k.a. Michael Avallone.
  
• Happiness Is a Book revisits the 1984 police procedural Crime for Christmas by Lesley Egan. 
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1984 thriller Atrocity Week by Andrew McCoy. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1985 movie novelisation Rambo First Blood Part II by David Morrell.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1988 men's adventure novel Doctor Death by Herb Fisher. 
  
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1989 movie novelisation Total Recall by Piers Anthony. 
  
• The Por Por Books Blog revisits the 1993 serial killer novel Deadhead by Shaun Hutson.
  

 

Con reports:

• Watch a video of Helen Smith and Dr. Mark Aldridge discussing Agatha Christie at the Ninth International Pune Literary Festival in Pune, India.
  

 

Research:

• Anthony Ashkenaz reports that China has developed an AI prosecutor that can supposedly identify crimes and file charges.  
• Sinan Mahmoud reports that an ancient clay tablet containing part of the epic of Gilgamesh has been returned to Iraq after being stolen by looters and sold to the owners of the Hobby Lobby chain of craft stores.  
• Zoe Christen Jones reports that the excessive 110 year prison sentence of truck driver Rogel Aguilera-Mederosfor causing a deadly mass collision has been reduced to a somewhat more reasonable ten years.
  

Free online fiction:

• "An Unknown Man" by David Connor in Mystery Tribune.
  
• "The Startle Response" by Albert Tucher in Shotgun Honey.
• "Glimmers" by Blair Keetch in Shotgun Honey.
• "Extra Income" by M.A. De Neve in Yellow Mama.
• "Manny Dietrich's Adventures in the Blighted Kingdom" by Roger Johns in Yellow Mama.
• "Case Closed" by Tony Dawson in The Five-Two.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Death on the Nile.
• Watch a trailer for The Batman.