Crime Fiction Links of the Week for May 21, 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 Tokyo Vice, The Northman, Top Gun: Maverick, Emergency, On the Count of Three, season 6 of Better Call Saul, RoboCop at thirty-five, tributes to Fred Ward, the many TV show cancellations at CBS and The CW and much more.

Crime fiction in general:

• Alison Floods shares the best new thrillers of the month.
• Laura Wilson shares a round-up of the best recent crime novels and thrillers.
  
• Crime Reads shares ten new mysteries and crime novels coming out this week.
• Crime Reads shares the best debut crime novels for May 2022.
  
• Crime Reads shares twenty-three new mystery and crime novels by Asian American and Pacific Islander authors. 
• Christopher Huang explains how historical fiction and historical mysteries from different POVs can help to put golden age mysteries into perspective.
  
• Adrian McKinty explains how the thrillers of the 1970s inspired him. 
• Heather Chavez shares seven thrillers where fun and games threaten to turn fatal. 
• Deborah Blake shares seven cozy mysteries featuring animals solving crimes.
  
• Caite Dolan-Leach declares that asking why women like true crime is condescending.
• Nicola Upson shares her appreciation for the works of Margery Allingham and Josephine Tey.
  
• Robin Peguero explains how proximity to murder and violence shaped his life and his fiction. 
• Beth Parker remembers the brief thriller writing career of tennis star Martina Navratilova and her co-author Liz Nickles. 
• Deuce Richardson recounts William Dean Howells' condemnation of adventure and speculative fiction as well as Henry Rider Haggard's rebuttal of William Dean Howells.
  
• Hillary A. Hallett talks about reclaiming the romance genre.
• Claudia Gray explains what Jane Austen can teach us about trust.
• Robert Charles Cornett, author of science fiction and adventure fiction, has died aged 69.
  

 

Film and TV:

• Alasdair Stuart reviews The Batman with Lego figures. 
• Cath Clarke calls Cop Secret Iceland's answer to Hot Fuzz. 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Boys from Heaven a stirring spy thriller set on an Egyptian university campus.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls God's Creatures a doom-laden crime drama from Ireland.
  
• Manuel Betancourt calls Now and Then a bilingual thriller that looks eerily similar to other prestige thrillers. 
• Linda Codega praises Our Flag Mean Death for its representation of asexuality.  
• Bob Mayer urges everybody to watch The Outfit.
  
• Stuart Jeffries calls Floodlights a harrowing and important drama about sexual abuse in football. 
  
• Cath Clarke calls The Road Dance a tale of rape and denial set in the Scottish Hebrides. 
• Jordan Hoffman calls Hold Your Fire a frank and nuanced documentary about a 1973 hostage taking that is considered the beginning of hostage negotiations. 
• David Cote shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Barry. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Beck.
  
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the first episode of the Welsh crime drama Y Golau a.k.a. The Light.
  
• Misha Popp explains why crime dramas like Criminal Minds are comfort viewing for many people. 
• Olivia Rutigliano notes that Nora Ephron tended to include serial killer subplots in her romantic comedies, though they never made it to screen. 
  
• Rich Pelley interviews Udo Kier who was in everything. 
• Julie Miller reports that Xavier de Lestrade, who made a true crime documentary about the same case that The Staircase is based upon, feels betrayed by the true crime drama series.
  
• The BBC announces that Amanda Burton will return as Dr. Sam Ryan for the twenty-fifth anniversary of Silent Witness.
  
• Nellie Andreeva reports that the new Magnum P.I. has been cancelled after four seasons.
  
• Lesley Goldberg explains why so many popular SFF shows that used to run on The CW network such as Legends of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Charmed, Roswell, Legacies, Naomi and others have been cancelled.  
• Gabrielle Sanchez reports that Riverdale has been cancelled as well by The CW. 
  
• Chris Murphy also reports about the wave of TV show cancellations to hit The CW as well as CBS. 
• Gavia Baker-Whitelaw reports that fans are campaigning to save Batwoman and Legends of Tomorrow.
  
• Greek musician and electronic music pioneer Vangelis, who composed the soundtracks for Blade Runner, Cosmos and Chariots of Fire among many others, has died aged 79. 
  

 

Tributes to Fred Ward: 

• Fred Ward, star of Tremors, The Right Stuff, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins and many others has died aged 79.
• Andrew Pulver remembers Fred Ward. 
• Amanda Holpuch remembers Fred Ward. 
• Carmel Dagan remembers Fred Ward. 
• Michael Carlson shares an obituary for Fred Ward.

 

Comments on Tokyo Vice:

• Jack Seale calls Tokyo Vice a wannabe hardboiled drama.  
• Ann Lee interviews Ken Watanabe, one of the stars of Tokyo Vice.
  

 

Comments on season six of Better Call Saul:

• Paul MacInnes shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Better Call Saul.
• Kimberly Potts shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Better Call Saul.
• Stuart Heritage speculates about the possible endings of Better Call Saul.
  

 

Comments on Top Gun: Maverick: 

• Andrew Pulver talks about Top Gun: Maverick and the rise of the legacy sequel, i.e. a sequel made years or even decades after the original.
• Jess Cartner-Morley wonders whether the 1950s nostalgia filtered through 1980s eyes of the original 1986 Top Gun will still work for 2022 audiences. 
• Brent Lang and Zack Sharf report that Top Gun Maverick got standing ovations at the Cannes film festival in Cannes, France.
  

 

Comments on The Northman:

• Rogues in the House discuss The Northman.  
  
• Camestros Felapton shares his thoughts on The Northman.
• Eileen Jones calls The Northman an honourable failure.
• Literary Hub shares a Shakespearean study guide to The Northman.

 

Comments on Emergency:

• Adrian Horton calls Emergency a comedy thriller that is part hijinksy romp and part social commentary.  
• Mark Keizer calls Emergency a mix of college comedy, caper movie and social commentary.
  

 

Comments on On the Count of Three:

• Martin Tsai calls On the Count of Three a grim drama about suicide and revenge. 
• Inspired by On the Count of Three, Charles Bramesco asks if Hollywood can ever find a way to handle suicide correctly. 

 

 RoboCop at thirty-five: 

• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1987 satirical science fiction film RoboCop for its thirty-fifth anniversary.
• Simon Bland interviews director Paul Verhoeven and actress Nancy Allen about the making of RoboCop. 

 

Awards:

• The shortlist for the 2022 Dagger Awards has been announced.
• The finalists for the 2022 Anthony Awards have been announced.
• The winners of the various awards given out at CrimeFest in Bristol, UK, have been announced.
• The winner of the 2022 Harald Morgensen Prize has been announced.
  
• The 2022 Joffe Books Prize for crime fiction writers of colour is open for submissions.
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• David B. Coe talks about clueless writing advice.
  
• Shelby Van Pelt shares lessons learned from a year of living with a fictional octopus in her head.
  
• Michael Morpurgo explains why teaching children to love writing is more important than grammar. 
• Kristine Kathryn Rusch explains how fear can cause writers to fail.
  
• Jacqui Lipton talks about trademarks and writing.
  
• John Scalzi shares his observations on audiobooks.
• Jason Hamilton shares a guide to TicToc for authors.
  
• Susan Furlong talks about the magic of libraries.
• Lev A.C. Rosen declares that the true purpose of the recent bans of LGBTQ books is to make LGBTQ kids scared.
• Andrew Albanese reports that more than twenty-five organisations have joined the American Library Association's "Unite Against Book Bans" campaign. 
• Don Blyly shares an update on the status of the new domicile of the Uncle Hugo's and Uncle Edgar's specialty bookshops, which were burned down during the riots in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 2020.
  

 

Interviews: 

• Mitchell Kaplan interviews Don Winslow.
  
• Hilary Davidson interviews Alex Segura.
  
• Ayo Onatade interviews Charlotte Philby.
  
• John A. Hoda interviews Edwin Hill.
  
• Wrong Place, Write Crime interviews Emmeline Duncan. 
• Paul Burke interviews Nicola Upson.
• Female First interviews Nicola Upson. 
  
• Nancie Clare interviews P. David Ebersole.
• Garrick Webster interviews David Adams Cleveland.
• Jeff Quest interviews Otto Penzler.
  

Reviews:

• Beth Kanell reviews Bad Actors by Mick Herron.
• Tod Goldberg reviews The Island by Adrian McKinty. 
• Garrick Webster reviews The Island by Adrian McKinty.
  
• Janet Webb reviews Midnight Dunes by Laura Griffin.
  
• Beth Kanell reviews Overboard by Sara Paretsky. 
• Seattle Book Mama reviews Overboard by Sara Paretsky.
  
• Grab This Book reviews May God Forgive by Alan Parks. 
• Heather Fitt reviews Cold Reckoning by Russ Thomas. 
• BOLO Books reviews A Killing Rain by Faye Snowden. 
• Lou Jacobs reviews Wild Prey by Brian Klingborg.
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Patient by Jane Shemilt. 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews The Botanist by M.W. Craven. 
• The Book Decoder reviews Deceived by Mary Keliikoa. 
• L.J. Roberts reviews Something Wicked by David Housewright.
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews And By Fire by Evie Hawtrey.
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Hollow Fires by Samira Ahmed. 
• Kirkus reviews Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay. 
• Mary Picken reviews The Hiding Place by Simon Lelic.
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews Exit Strategy by Linda L. Richards.
  
• Jon Morgan reviews Three Assassins by Kotaro Isaka, translated by Sam Malissa. 
• Kirkus reviews Gods of Deception by David Adams Cleveland. 
• Bookpage reviews The Lioness by Chris Bohjalian.
  
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews The Krubera Conspiracy by Jeff Buick. 
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Kalmann by Johann B. Schmidt, translated by Jamie Lee Searle.
  
• Grab This Book reviews Requiem in La Rossa by Tom Benjamin. 
• Kevin Tipple reviews A Kind and Savage Place by Richard Helms. 
• Tessa Talks Books reviews My Wife Is Missing by D.J. Palmer.
  
• Lacy Baugher Milas reviews My Summer Darlings by May Cobb. 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Cry Baby by Mark Billingham.
  
• Becky LeJeune reviews The Attic Child by Lola Jaye.
• John Valeri reviews Child Zero by Chris Holm. 
• Kittling Books reviews The Marlow Murder Club ny Robert Thorogood.
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Smile Beach Murder by Alicia Bessette. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews 'Til Death by Carol J. Perry.
  
• Becky LeJeune reviews A Tidy Ending by Joanna Cannon. 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Lady With the Gun Asks the Questions by Kerry Greenwood.
  
• Tim Adams reviews The Far Side of the Moon: Trials of My Father by Clive Stafford Smith.
• Scott Herbertson reviews The Life of Crime: Detecting the History of Mysteries and their Creators by Martin Edwards.
• Publishers Weekly reviews Who Killed Jane Stanford? A Gilded Age Tale of Murder, Deceit, Spirits, and the Birth of a University by Richard White.
• David Pickup reviews The Poisonous Solicitor: The True Story of a 1920s Murder Mystery by Stephen Bates.
• Judith Reveal reviews Born to Be Hanged: The Epic Story of the Gentlemen Pirates Who Raided the South Seas, Rescued a Princess, and Stole a Fortune by Keith Thomson.  

 

Classics reviews:

• B.V. Lawson revisits the 1904 Reginald Brett mystery The Albert Gate Mystery by Louis Tracy.
  
• Bitter Tea and Mystery revisits the 1938 suspense novel Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1950 boxing story "Too Early To Tell" by John D. MacDonald.
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1954 mystery Why Kill Johnny? by Harry Carmichael a.k.a. Leo Ognall.
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1957 Anthony Bathurst mystery The Hands of Justice by Brian Flynn.
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1970 adventure novel Logan by Alan Joseph a.k.a. Jon Messman.
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1974 blaxploitation thriller Black Samurai by Marc Olden. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1974 crime novel The Closing Circle by Lou Cameron. 
• Happiness Is a Book revisits the 1991 Mark Treasure mystery Treasure by Post by David Williams.
  

Con and event reports:

• Martin Edwards shares his experiences at the 2022 CrimeFest in Bristol, UK.
• Ayo Onatade reports that the Capital Crime festival in London, UK, has announced its 2022 line-up and venue. 
• Dietrich Kalteis looks ahead at the virtual Maple Leaf Mystery Conference. 
• Chris M. Barkley notes that if con runners want to be more welcoming to fans of colour, they should listen to what fans of colour are telling them about their experiences at cons. 
  
• Ryan Gilbey calls For You I'd Wait an ill-advised musical about the Bataclan terrorist attack, which is currently playing in London, UK.
• Arifa Akbar calls The Breach an oblique drama about abuse, power and trauma, which is currently playing in London, UK.
  

 

Crowdfunding:

• Kristine Kathryn Rusch is looking for funding for a starter kit of her fiction under her various pen names.  
• Everyday Heroes: The Roleplaying Game is looking for funding.

 

Research:

• Evie Hawtrey interviews forensic anthropologist Dr. Cassandra Kuba. 
• Eric Barker explains that criminal profiling is a pseudo-science.
• Zarqa Nawaz explains how USAID, though supposedly a charitable organisation, smuggled textbooks into Afghanistan in the 1980s to incite young Afghans to become jihadists. 
• David Adams Cleveland talks about the Alger Hiss espionage case. 
• Peter Handel discusses the still unsolved 1978 murder of Theresa Allore. 
  
• Charles Harper Webb talks about rock 'n roll and toxic masculinity.
• Paul Waldman reports that the already extremely high level of gun manufacturing and sales in the US has grown even further since the start of the covid pandemic.
  
• Brian Klingborg explains why the illegal wildlife trade is a multi-million dollar business.
• Robin Farrar Maas talks about the language of flowers.
  

 

Free online fiction:

• "The Consultant" by Albert Tucher in Shotgun Honey. 
• "Urban Or Otherwise" by Beau Johnson in Shotgun Honey.
  
• "The Pain You Cannot Treat" by David Hagerty in Mystery Tribune. 
• "Stripes and Solids" by William Kitcher in Mystery Tribune.
  
• "Pugnus" by James Jenkins in Punk Noir Magazine.
• "The Many Murders of the Self" by H. Pueyo in The Dark.
  
• "Conversion" by Pamela Hobart Carter in The Five-Two.
• "Northern Correspondent" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch.
  

 

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for The Old Man. 
• Watch a trailer for The Terminal List.
  
• Watch a trailer for Spiderhead.