Crime Fiction Links of the Week for December 16, 2023

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 crime works of 2023, the best Christmas crime novels, Mr. Monk's Last Case and Monk in general, Platform 7, the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal, the debate about AI generated art and writing, tributes to Tim Dorsey, Ryan O'Neal and Andre Braugher and much more:

Crime fiction in general:  

• Erin Britton shares her favourite Christmas crime novels. 
• John Valeri shares a round-up of recent Christmas crime novels.
  
• Annelise Ryan shares thrillers in which bad things happen in beautiful places
• Molly Ann Cox lists historical mysteries set in early America. 
• Rick Pullen profiles Patricia Cornwell.
  
• Douglas A. Anderson takes a look at Raymond Chandler's fantasy writing. 
• Maya Yang reports that a lost 1955 poem by Raymond Chandler entitled "Requiem" has been rediscovered at the Bodleian Library in Oxford, UK.

 

Best of 2023: 

• Ayo Onatade shares her favourite crime novels of 2023. 
• Ali Karim shares his favourite crime novels of 2023. 
• Abir Mukherjee shares his favourite crime novels of 2023.
  
• Joy Kluver shares her ten favourite crime novels of 2023.
• Natasha Cooper shares her favourite crime novels of 2023.
• Jim Thomsen shares his favourite crime novels of 2023.
  
• Grab This Book shares their favourite crime novels of 2023.
  
• Aunt Agatha's shares their favourite mysteries and crime novels of 2023. 
• Angela Misri and Sam Wiebe share their favourite mysteries and crime novels of 2023.
• Crime Reads share their favourite debut crime novels of 2023. 
• David Hepburn shares his favourite Scottish crime novels of 2023. 
• Crime Reads shares the best spy novels of 2023.
  
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite young adult mysteries, thrillers and horror novels of 2023   
• Sara Weiss shares a list of the favourite crime novels of various female critics and reviewers.
  
• Olivia Rutigliano shares her favourite crime TV shows of 2023.
• Molly Templeton shares her thoughts on "Best Books of the Year" lists in general.  
  

   

Tributes to Tim Dorsey:

• Craig Pittman remembers Tim Dorsey.
  
• Clay Risen remembers Tim Dorsey.
  

Film and TV:

• Kaila Hale-Stern calls Slow Horses the best spy thriller on TV.
• Jack Seale shares his thoughts on season 2 of Vigil and declares that the crime drama does not need a submarine to be brilliant. 
• Graeme Virtue calls season 2 of Reacher addictively watchable, F-bomb-packed fun
  
• Kate Abbott calls Blue Lights ones of the best TV shows of 2023. 
• Ellen E. Jones calls Poker Face on of the best TV shows of 2023. 
  
• Chris Jenkins shares his thoughts on The Tower: Death Message. 
• Paul Hirons calls Dear Child an intriguing and innovative thriller.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls The Family Plan a forgettable action caper. 
• Stuart Heritage calls Beef one of the best TV shows of 2023.
  
• Alexi Duggins calls Top Boy one of the best TV shows of 2023. 
• Phuong Le calls The Lost Boys a passionate and political love story set in a juvenile prison.
• Rebecca Liu calls Anatomy of a Fall one of the best films of 2023.
  
• Matt Schimkovitz shares his thoughts on the latest episode of  A Murder At The End Of The World
• Tom Philip shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Fargo.
  
• Manuel Betancourt shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Curse.  
• Paul Levinson calls the documentary John Lennon: Murder Without a Trial short, but still worthwile 
• Ethan Sabatella takes a look at Christmas action films. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1970 heist film Perfect Friday.
  
• Charles Bramesco revisits the 1983 gangster film Scarface for its fortieth anniversary. 
• Keith Roysdon revisits the 1989 crime drama UNSUB, a precursor to the various CSI shows. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 2003 TV espionage series Cambridge Spies. 
• Alexi Duggins interviews Jamie Dornan, star of The Tourist.
  
• Michael Segalov interviews Luke Evans, who appeared in The Hobbit, Clash of the Titans, The Alienist, The Beauty and the Beast, Fast and Furious 6, High-Rise and many others. 
•  Hephzibah Anderson interviews Julianne Moore, one of the stars of May December. 
• Nadia Khomani interviews film editor Thelma Schoonmaker, widow of Michael Powell, director of The Red Shoes, and frequent collaborator of Martian Scorsese.
• William Hughes interviews the voice cast of Archer. 
  
• Rachel Stirling, daughter of Diana Rigg, best known for her roles in The Avengers, On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Game of Thrones, shares her mother's difficult final months and her wish for a legalisation of assisted dying.
  
• Rachel Hall reports that James Pitchard, great-grandson of Agatha Christie, declares that his great-grandmother would have approved of casting a black actor as the lead in the upcoming TV adaptation of Murder Is Easy. 
• Phil Hoad wonders why there are so few pan-European blockbusters.  
  

 

Comments on Mr. Monk's Last Case and Monk in general: 

• Olivia Rutigliano declares that Mr. Monk's Last Case is a sweet and thoughtful return to the classic series.
• Emily Palmer-Heller ranks every episode of Monk.
  

 

Comments on Platform 7: 

• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the supernatural crime drama Platform 7.
• Paul Hirons interviews Jasmine Jobson, star of Platform 7.
  

 

Tributes to Ryan O'Neal:

• Actor Ryan O'Neal, star The Driver, Paper Moon, What's Up, Doc?, The Thief Who Came To Dinner, The Big Bounce, Bones and many others, has died aged 92. 
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Ryan O'Neal.
  
• Jim Hedge shares photos of Ryan O'Neal's lengthy career.
  

 

Tributes to Andre Braugher: 

• Actor Andre Braugher, best known for his roles in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Homicide: Life on the Streets and The Andromeda Strain, has died aged 61. 
• Stuart Heritage calls Andre Braugher a talent like no other. 
• Alexi Duggins shares his favourite Andre Braugher moments on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. 
• Armando Tinoco shares tributes to Andre Braugher from his Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-stars.
  
• Denise Petski reports that Andre Braugher died of lung cancer.

 

 Awards:

• Anatomy of a Fall has won Best Film at European Film Awards
• The nominations for the 2023 Golden Globes have been announced with some love for crime film and TV.  
• The nominations for the 2024 Film Critics' Choice Awards have been announced. 
  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Claire Kells talks about the dilemma of whether to use fictional or real settings. 
• A.T. Greenblatt talks about writing short stories.
  
• Kim Scott discusses how Spotify's move into streaming audiobooks may affect authors and publishers. 
• Ella Creamer reports that two libraries in London, UK, were forced to close because of bedbug infestations.
  
• Vanessa Thorpe reports that the 1968 novel Bound to Violence by Malian author Yambo Ouologuem will be reprinted after the author's career was destroyed by allegations of plagiarism.
  
• Samantha Riedel reports that according to Florida attorney general Ashley Moody, school libraries are a forum for government-sanctioned speech and not free expression in response to attempts to ban And Tango Makes Three, a children's book about penguins who happen to be gay.
• Alasdair Clark and Claire Warrender report that Altany Craik, councillor for Fife, Scotland, was outsted by his own party for being a horror writer.
  

 

Comments on the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal:

• Anne Marble reports about the latest Goodreads review bombing scandal, targeting mainly YA authors of colour. 
• Alyssa Shotwell also discusses the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Locus also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Angela Yang also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Justin Carter also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Timothy Bella also reports about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
• Ella Creamer and Lucy Knight also report about the Cait Corrain review bombing scandal. 
  
• Cait Corrain shares "a sincere apology" for review bombing books by fellow debut authors.
  

 

Comments on the AI controversy:

•  Brian Murphy firmly rejects AI-generated art, music and writing.
• Adam Satariano reports about the European Union's new AI legislation. 
• Ted Johnson reports that Ross Levinsohn, CEO of the publisher of Sports Illustrated, has been fired for running AI-written articles in the magazine. 

 

Interviews: 

• Paul Burke interviews Tom Mead.
  
• Tony R. Cox interviews Tom Mead.
  
• Tony R. Cox interviews Paul Cleave. 
• The Red Hot Chilli Writers interview Imran Mahmood.
  
• Debbi Mack interviews Michael Farris Smith. 
• Jyoti Guptara and Thomas Locke interview each other.
  
• Shane Whaley interviews Stuart A. Reid.
  

 

Reviews:

• Crossexamining Crime reviews The Postscript Murders by Elly Griffiths.
• Vanessa Armstrong reviews Chaos Terminal by Mur Lafferty. 
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews Sunset, Water City by Chris McKinney  
• Mandie Griffiths reviews Hangman Island by Kate Rhodes
  
• Kevin Tipple reviews Starvation Lake by Bryan Gruley
  
• Mary Picken reviews The Burning Time by David Mark
• Lesa Holstine reviews No Way Out by Cara Hunter
  
• Mary Picken reviews Cover The Bones by Chris Hammer
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Blood Betrayal by Ausma Zehanat Khan
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Hero She Needs by Anna Hackett 
  
• Zachary Houle reviews The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose 
  
• The Quick and the Read reviews Last to Leave by Lucy Martin
• Jay Roberts reviews Lost Hours by Paige Shelton. 
• John Valeri reviews Lights Out by Elise Hart Kipness
  
• Beth Kanell reviews Death Writes by Andrea Carter.
  
• Tzer Island reviews The Fourth Rule by Jeff Lindsay 
• Publishers Weekly reviews Five Bad Deeds by Caz Frear
• Kevin Tipple reviews Face of Greed by James L’Etoile 
  
• Ray Palen reviews The Watchmaker's Hand by Jeffery Deaver
• Hamish MacBain reviews Deadly Game by Michael Caine. 
• She Treads Softly reviews Odyssey's End by Matt Coyle 
• Mairéad Hearne reviews Kids Run the Show by Delphine de Vigan, translated by Alison Anderson
• Becky LeJeune reviews Dead Sweet by Katrín Júlíusdóttir, translated by Quentin Bates.   
• Garrick Webster reviews Squeaky Clean by Callum McSorley
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Other Half by Charlotte Vassell
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Helsinki Affair by Anna Pitoniak
  
• Phoebe Wagner reviews Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah  
  
• Marion Deeds reviews The Undetectables by Courtney Smyth
  
• Kirkus reviews The Mayors of New York by S.J. Rozan. 
• Emily Leacher reviews City of Betrayal by Victoria Thompson
  
• Dabey Grinnan reviews The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon 
• John Charles reviews The Curse of Penryth Hall by Jess Armstrong
• Doreen Sheridan reviews I Heard A Fly Buzz When I Died by Amanda Flower
  
• Kittling Books reviews Death of a Lesser God by Vaseem Khan
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Murder Crossed Her Mind by Stephen Spotswood
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Murder on Tour by V. M. Burns
• Kevin Tipple reviews Posthumous Child by Rozlan Mohd Noor
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Twilight Falls by Juneau Black
  
• Mary Picken reviews Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson, translated by David Warriner
• Becky LeJeune reviews Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson, translated by David Warriner
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Yule Island by Johana Gustawsson, translated by David Warriner 
• John Valeri reviews Candy Cane Kills by Brian McAuley 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Christmas Appeal by Janice Hallett 
• Erin Britton reviews Who Killed Father Christmas? and Other Seasonal Mysteries, edited by Martin Edwards 
  
• Aunt Agatha's reviews Agatha Christie, She Watched by Teresa Peschel.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1926 Sexton Blake mystery Mrs Bardell’s Xmas Eve by Gwyn Evans 
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1933 mystery Death By Request by Romilly and Katherine John 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1933 adventure story “Pirate's Lair” by Arthur D. Howden Smith
  
• Lesa Holstine revisits the 1934 bibliomystery The Mysterious Mr. Badman by W.F. Harvey.
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1941 spy novel The Man Who Walked with Death by Sydney Horler  
• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1945 Tony Woolrich mystery Nobody Loves a Dead Man by Milton M. Raison
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1946 Gideon Fell mystery He Who Whispers by John Dickson Carr. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1961 crime novel Wake in Fright by Kenneth Cook.
  
• Vintage Pop Fictions revisits the 1962 noir novel Dial ‘M’ for Man by Orrie Hitt.
  
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1993 Inspector Henry Tibbett mystery Twice in a Blue Moon  by Patricia Moyes
• Alan Brown revisits the 2000 spy novel Nick Fury, Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Empyre by Will Murray.
  

 

Con and event reports:

•  Jen Lucas reports that the 2024 Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival in Harrogate, Yorkshire, has announced that thriller author Ruth Ware will be the programming chair for 2024.
  

 

Research: 

• Edward Helmore reports that Tyler Goodson, who became famous due to the true crime podcast Serial, was killed by police in Woodstock, Alabama. 
  
• Victor Mather reports that a car thief in Carlingford, Australia, stole a truck with ten thousand doughnuts.
• Jake Adelstein breaks down the many terms used to signify membership in the Yakuza.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "A Eulogy" by Bruce Costello in Yellow Mama.
• "As My Witness" by Hilary Lyon in Yellow Mama.
  
• "Snow Angels" by Kristine Kathryn Rusch
  

 

Trailer and videos: 

•  Watch a trailer for The Brothers Sun.
• Watch a trailer for Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.