Crime Fiction Links of the Week for December 24, 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 the best mysteries, crime novels and thriller of 2021, The Girl Before, Dexter: New Blood, Mare of Easttown, Hawkeye and much more.

Crime fiction in general: 

• Andrew Bourelle talks about ticking clock thrillers.
• Elly Griffiths discusses the connections between crime fiction and the world of theatre.
• Paul Burke shares his appreciation for the Banlieue trilogy of Olivier Norek.
  

 

Best of 2021:

• J. Kingston Pierce shares his favourite crime novels of 2021. 
• Ayo Onatade shares her favourite crime novels of 2021.
  
• Mike Parker shares his favourite crime novels of 2021. 
• Sandra Mangan shares her favourite crime novels of 2021. 
• Crime by the Book share their favourite crime novels of 2021.
  
• Jim Napier shares his favourite crime novels of 2021.
• Kevin Burton Smith shares his favourite crime novels of 2021.
• Book Reporter share their favour crime novels of 2021.
• Marie Claire share their favourite crime novels of 2021. 
  
• Ayo Onatade shares her favourite non-fiction crime books of 2021.
• Crime Reads shares their favourite noir novels of 2021. 
  
• Lisa Levy shares her favourite psychological thrillers of 2021.
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite horror thrillers of 2021.
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite speculative thrillers and mysteries of 2021.
• Stop, You're Killing Me share their favourite debut crime novels of 2021.
• Olivia Rutigliano shares her favourite crime and mystery TV shows of 2021.
• Olivia Rutigliano lists the best crime movies of 2021.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Jesse Hassenger calls the latest version of Macbeth one of the best looking movies of the year.   
• Leila Latif calls Parallel Mothers an outstanding tale of twisted motherhood.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Hightown. 
• Chris Feil shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Landscapers.
  
• Leila Latif shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Garrick Webster shares his thoughts on the German crime drama Das Geheimnis des Totenwaldes a.k.a. Dark Woods. 
• Vanessa Thorpe wonders why British actors tend to get casted as warped, evil or tortured characters in US movies and TV shows.  
• Riche Narvaez revisits the crime movies made by the so-called "Rat Pack". 
• Charles Bramesco revisits the 1971 action thriller Dirty Harry for its fiftieth anniversary.
  
• Cheryl Eddy revisits the 1980 slasher film New Year's Evil.  
• Olivia Rutigliano revisits the 1987 holiday thriller Die Hard.
  
• Emine Saner interviews Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of The Girl Before, Loki, Black Mirror: San Junipero and many others. 
• Tom Lamont interviews Keanu Reeves, star of the Matrix series, the John Wick series, the Bill and Ted series and many others. 
  

 

Comments on Hawkeye: 

• Annika Rollock shares her thoughts on "So This Is Christmas?", the season finale of Hawkeye.
• Caroline Siede shares her thoughts on "So This Is Christmas?"
• Germain Lussier shares his thoughts on "So This Is Christmas?"
• Carly Lane interviews Rhys Thomas, director of Hawkeye.
  

 

Comments on Mare of Easttown: 

• Kate Abbot calls Mare of Easttown one of the best TV shows of 2021. 
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Kate Winslet, star of Mare of Easttown. 

 

Comments on The Girl Before:

• Lucy Mangan calls The Girl Before a gripping thriller.
• Emine Saner interviews Gugu Mbatha-Raw, star of The Girl Before, Loki, Black Mirror: San Junipero and many others. 

 

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:

• Fraser Massey offers an overview of the various crime fiction award winners of 2021.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Tim Jonze shares his experience doing NaNoWriMo.
• Celso Hurtado shares five storytelling lessons from urban legends.
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch explains how the handling of backlist shows the sorry state of traditional publishing.
  

 

Interviews: 

• Robert Justice interviews Rachel Howzell Hall.
  
• Crime by the Book interviews Fiona Barton.
• Alan Petersen interviews Vannessa Cronin. 
• Paul Burke interviews H.B. Lyle.
  
• Shane Whalley interviews James Wolff.
  

Reviews:

• The Reading Room reviews We Begin at the End by Chris Whitaker. 
• The Reading Room reviews The Midnight Hour by Elly Griffiths.
  
• Paul Burke reviews Outsider by Rob Sinclair. 
• Paperback Warrior reviews Bone Canyon by Lee Goldberg. 
• Pam Guynn reviews Cry Wolf by Hans Rosenfeldt
  
• BOLO Books reviews The Quiet People by Paul Cleave. 
• Grab This Book reviews The Undiscovered Deaths of Grace McGill by C.S. Robertson. 
• The Book Decoder reviews Head Shot by Otho Eskin.
  
• The Quick and the Read reviews We Are All Liars by Carys Jones. 
• Judith Reveal reviews My Darling Husband by Kimberly Belle.
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews Lucky by Marissa Stapley.
  
• Paperback Warrior reviews The Institute by Stephen King. 
• Paperback Warrior reviews Levon's Trade by Chuck Dixon. 
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Death Under the Perseids by Teresa Dovalpage.
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Christmas, the Krewe and Kenneth by Heather Graham. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Spirit of Steamboat by Craig Johnson. 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Death on the Trans-Siberian Express by C.J. Farrington. 
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Last Victim of the Monsoon Express by Vaseem Khan. 
• Kittling Books reviews The Hanged Man's Tale by Gerald Jay.
  
• Janet Webb reviews The Dead Cry Justice by Rosemary Simpson.
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Murder Under Her Skin by Stephen Spotswood. 
• Publishers Weekly reviews Family Business by S.J. Rozan.
  
• Paul Burke reviews A Loyal Traitor by Tim Glister.
  
• Martin Edwards reviews The Appeal by Jane Hallett
  
• Aubrey Nye Hamilton reviews Cold Florida by Philip DePoy 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Bleeding Tarts by Kirsten Weiss and tries a recipe from the book. 
• Grab This Book reviews The Christmas Murder Game by A.K. Benedict.
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Mrs. Claus and the Santaland Slayings by Liz Ireland.
  
• Erin Britton reviews A Three Dog Problem by S.J. Bennett. 
• Kirkus reviews Observations by Gaslight: Stories from the World of Sherlock Holmes by Lyndsay Faye. 
  
• Alex Cristofi reviews The Sinner and the Saint by Kevin Birmingham.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1937 mystery Murder in Blue by Clifford Witting. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1951 thriller The Marble Forest by Theo Durrant.
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews the 1952 mystery The Dead Voice by Cecil M. Wills. 
• Alan Cranis revisits the 1958 crime novel Gang Rumble by Edward S. Aarons.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits Blood on the Strip, a 1973 novel in The Penetrator men's adventure series by Lionel Derrick a.k.a. Chet Cunningham. 
• Joe Kenney revisits Last War Dance, a 1974 novel in The Destroyer men's adventure series by Richard Sapir and Warren Murphy. 
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits The Enigma Project, a 1977 novel in the Death Merchant men's adventure series by Joseph Rosenberger.
  

 

Con reports:

• Ayo Onatade reports that CrimeFest Bristol in Bristol, UK, had launched a bursary for authors of colour.
  

 

Research:

• John Douglas shares his experiences as an FBI profiler.
  
• Don Sweeney and Maddie Capron report that the 110 year prison sentence for a truck driver who caused a deadly mass crash in Colorado is being reviewed after a massive public outcry. 
• Rebecca Rego Barry shares the most interesting true crime relics that were sold in 2021.
  
• Jane Cleland talks about researching Jane Austen.
  

Free online fiction:

• "The Phone Call" by Joe Surkiewicz in Shotgun Honey. 
• "Aunt Jewel and the Christmas Spirit" by Bobbi A. Chukran in Kings River Life. 
• "Lady Barbara's Christmas Miracle" by Connie Berry in Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast. 
• "Feliz Navidad" by Bonnie Hearn Hill in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine Fiction Podcast. 
• "White Christmas" by Joseph Donato in The Five-Two.
  
• "Wreath" by M.E. Proctor in Guilty. 
• "The Burglar" by K.A. Williams in Yellow Mama.
• "Bittersweet" by Jonathan Woods in Yellow Mama. 
• "Benny's Luck" by K.A. Williams in Mysterical-E.
  
• "Fluid Highway" by James Jenkins in Punk Noir Magazine.