Crime Fiction Links of the Week for January 27, 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 True Detective: Night Country, Criminal Record, season 2 of Reacher, Echo, Death and Other Details, season 25 of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Law and Order in general, the first ever execution using nitrogen gas, tributes to Norman Jewison and much more:

Crime fiction in general:  

• Crime Reads shares ten new crime novel coming out this week.
• Crime Reads shares their favourite debut crime novels coming out this January.
  
• Margie Bunting shares her favourite mysteries and other books of 2023.
  
• John Copenhaver shares eleven LGBTQ+ crime novels to check out this winter. 
• Joyce Tremel talks about the comfort of cozy mysteries. 
• Gabby Allan shares her favourite cozy sleuths with attitude.
  
• Christina Koning explains how she writes about a blind detective in a two part post. 
• Tyffany D. Heiheiser explains why haunting is the perfect metaphor for PTSD.   
• Shubnum Khan points out that gothic fiction is a universal story, not a western one.
  
• Kemper Donovan wonders why Agatha Christie's work endures, when many of her contemporaries have been forgotten. 
• Nathan Ward talks about Dashiell Hammett's Sam Spade and the so-called Flitcraft parable.  
• Luke Poling takes a look at the literary afterlife of James Bond after his created Ian Fleming died in 1964.
  
• Dirk Cussler looks back on the fifty year history of adventurer Dirk Pitt, who was created by his father Clive Cussler.
  

Film and TV:

• Leslie Felperin calls The Island a stunt-filled Caribbean action flick
• Lucy Mangan calls Griselda a pulpy Narcos spin-off that's appallingly fun. 
• Benjamin Lee calls It’s What’s Inside a low budget, high concept thriller that feels a little empty.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Jackdaw a crime thriller that turns into anti-Get Carter of dullness
• Leila Latif calls Sexy Beast a gangster movie prequel that has no reason to exist. 
• Phuong Le calls Fighter a pizazz-free Top Gun from India weighed down by patriotic propaganda
  
• Jack Seale declares that Murder Trial: The Killing of Dr Brenda Page is what a true crime documentary should be. 
• Zack Budryk shares his thoughts on the third season of Hightown.
  
• Garrick Webster looks ahead at season 2 of the Finnish crime drama Arctic Circle. 
• Nancie Clare interviews Heidi Cole McAdams and Mike Weiss, creators of Death and Other Details.
• Malcolm Jack interviews Sofie Gråbøl and Søren Sveistrup, star and creator of the Danish crime drama The Killing.
• Morgan Cormack interviews Sylvester McCoy who plays Dr. McClurgy in an episode of Father Brown.
• Olivia Rutigliano ranks the twenty best, worst and strangest filmic portrayals of Hercule Poirot of all time.
  
• Dan Persons revisits the 1968 The Prisoner episode "The Schizoid Man".
• Nicole Vassell shares viewer responses to the true crime series American Nightmare. 
• Sam Barsanti revisits the 2009 action film Taken. 
• Broadway and film composer and comedy musician Peter Schickele has died aged 88. 
• British film composer Laurie Johnson, who worked on The Avengers, Dr. Strangelove, Tiger Bay, First Men in the Moon and many others, has died aged 96.

 

Comments on True Detective: Night Country: 

• Christina Izzo shares her thoughts on the latest episode of True Detective: Night Country.
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the latest episode of True Detective: Night Country.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Reacher:

•  Matt Webb Mitovuch interviews Nick Santora, showrunner of Reacher.
• William Earl interviews Alan Ritchson, who plays Jack Reacher in Reacher.
  

 

Comments on Criminal Record: 

•  Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Criminal Record.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Criminal Record.
  

 

Comments on Death and Other Details:

• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Death and Other Details.
• Nancie Clare interviews Heidi Cole McAdams and Mike Weiss, creators of Death and Other Details.
  

 

Comments on season 25 of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Law and Order in general: 

• Paul Levinson declares that the season 25 premiere of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is better than ever. 
  
• Lara Rosales shares her thoughts on the season 25 premiere of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. 
• Michael Martin finds glaring issues with all three Law and Order shows and wonders if they can be saved. 
• Lara Rosales explains why Olivia Benson from Law and Order: Special Victims Unit is one of the longest running TV characters.
  
• Mariska Hargitay who plays Olivia Benson in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit opens up about surviving a rape (content warning: sexual violence).
  

 

Comments on Echo:

• Aaron Jones shares his thoughts on Echo.
  
• Meredith Hobbs-Coons declares that Echo's portrayal of disability is a great step forward for Marvel.
• Jordan Iaccobucci shares ten valid reasons why some audience did not like Echo.  

 

Tributes to Norman Jewison:

• Norman Jewison, director of In the Heat of the Night, The Thomas Crown Affair, Rollerball and many other has died aged 97.
• Peter Bradshaw remembers Norman Jewison.
  
• Elena Goodinson shares photos from Norman Jewison's lengthy career.

 

Awards:

• The recipients of the 2024 Diamond Daggers have been announced.
  
• The nominations for the 2024 Academy Awards have been announced with lots of love for the usual dull and earnest movies. 
  
• The nominations for the 2024 Razzie Awards have been announced.

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• Janice Hallett talks about maintaining the tricky balance between tension and humour. 
• Philip Athans points out that adverbs are fine, actually.
  
• C.E. Murphy talks about editorial letters and how to respond to them.
• Jonathan Lichtman talks about the CIA's creative writing group. 
• Victoria Strauss talks about a new scam aimed at writers. 
• Andrew Atterbury reports that Florida is planning changes to its controversial book ban law after it turned out to be a logistical nightmare.

 

Interviews: 

• Mary Louise Kelly interviews Alex Michaelides.
  
• Gregg Hurwitz and Tracy Clark interview each other.
• The Red Hot Chilli Writers interview Chris Hammer. 
• Craig Sisterson interviews Garry Disher.
  
• Polly Stewart interviews Megan Miranda.
   

Reviews:

• Marlene Harris reviews Random in Death by J.D. Robb
• Lesa Holstine reviews Random in Death by J.D. Robb   
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Not Dead Enough by Tyffany D. Neiheiser
  
• Ali Karim reviews Don’t Know Tough by Eli Cranor  
• Mike Parker reviews My Favorite Scar by Nicolas Ferraro, translated by Mallory N. Craig-Kuhn
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Radiant Heat by Sarah-Jane Collins 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Frozen Assets by Quentin Bates
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Daughter of Ashes by Ilaria Tuti, translated by Ekin Oklap.
  
• Peter Handel reviews Death Under a Little Sky by Stig Abell.
  
• Jen Lucas reviews Sweet Dreams by Anders Roslund
• Fiona Sturges reviews None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews First Lie Wins by Ashley Elston
  
• Mary Picken reviews The Longest Goodbye by Mari Hannah
  
• The Quick and the Read reviews The Mystery Guest by Nita Prose
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Guests by Agnes Ravatn, translated by Rosie Hedger 
• Jen Lucas reviews The Guests by Agnes Ravatn, translated by Rosie Hedger 
• Jen Lucas reviews The Housekeepers by Alex Hay
  
• John Valeri reviews Broadcast Blues by R.G. Belsky 
• Sharon Richardson reviews The Dancer by Óskar Guðmundsson, translated by Quentin Bates   
  
• Mary Picken reviews The Actor by Chris MacDonald  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Hero by Thomas Perry 
• James Davis Nicoll reviews The Old Woman with the Knife by Gu Byeong-Mo, translated by Chi-Young Kim 
• Amy Myers reviews Paper Cage by Tom Baragwanath
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Clinic by Cate Quinn
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews One Last Dance Before I Die by Michael Jecks
  
• Grab This Book reviews The Last Line by Stephen Ronson  
  
• Blue Book Balloon reviews The Curious Affair of the Missing Mummies by Lisa Tuttle
  
• Gayle Surrette reviews The Wayward Prince by Leonard Goldberg
• Aunt Agatha's reviews The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks 
• Mary Picken reviews Helle and Death by Oskar Jensen 
• Erin Britton reviews Helle and Death by Oskar Jensen 
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle
• Mary Picken reviews Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle 
• Grab This Book reviews The Trials of Marjorie Crowe by C.S. Robertson  
• Crossexamining Crime reviews Unnatural Ends by Christopher Huang 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Mysterious Case of the Alperton Angels by Janice Hallett
  
• Janet Webb reviews The Expectant Detectives by Kat Ailes
  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Public Anchovy #1 by Mindy Quigley and tries a recipe from the book,
• Ayo Onatade reviews The Essential Harlem Detectives by Chester Himes 
  
• Brad Hawley reviews Near Death (Volume One) by Jay Faerber and Simon Guglielmini   
• John Banville reviews Missing Persons, Or My Grandmother’s Secrets by Clair Wills 
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1934 crime novel Big Ben Strikes Eleven by David Magarshack 
  
• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1938 Detective Stephen Mayhew mystery The Clue in the Clay by Dolores Hitchens,
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1939 Ki-Gor adventure story Ki-Gor and the Giant Gorilla-Men by John Peter Drummond
• Nathan Smith revisits the 1974 true crime book Helter Skelter: The True Story of The Manson Murders by Vincent Bugliosi.
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1988 Lloyd and Hill mystery Redemption by Jill McGown.
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Martin Edwards reports about the Lansdowne Literary Festival in London, UK.
  
• Virginia Chumlee reports about a visit to the infamous Clown Motel in Tonopah, Nevada.

 

Research: 

• Josh Funk reports that the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz, which were stolen from a museum in 2005, were stolen by a reformed mobster looking for one last big score. 
• Mariah Fredericks talks about the shooting of journalist and novelist David Graham Phillips in New York City in 1911, which led to restrictive gun laws in New York City for the next 111 years.  
• Leyland Cecco reports that a Canadian company is under fire for supplying a respirator mask to be used in an execution in Alabama. 
• Ed Pilkington interviews Kenneth Smith who is to be executed in Alabama by an untried method for his involvement in a 1988 contract killing - after surviving one botched execution a few months ago. 
• Marty Roney shares a detailed account of the execution of Kenneth Smith by nitrogen gas.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Midtown Merry-Go-Round" by Jack Brown in Mystery Tribune.
• "On The Tip of A Needle" by Julia Shraytman in Mystery Tribune.
• "The Bad Day" by Tom Riordan in Mystery Tribune.
• "The Mysterious Crate" by Angelique Fawns in Mystery Tribune.
• "Stack 9" by Gene Breaznell in Mystery Tribune.
• "People Like Me" by Terry Connelly in Mystery Tribune.
• "Edward Deare" by Dave Hoing in Mystery Tribune.     
• "Bedtime" by Craig Daly in Shotgun Honey.
• "Dispatches from the Underworld" by Mark Atley in Shotgun Honey.

 

Trailers and videos:

•  Watch a trailer for Ripley.
• Watch a trailer for Monkey Man.