Crime Fiction Links of the Week for February 3, 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, season 2 of Trigger Point, Mr. and Mrs Smith, Argylle, season 25 of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Law and Order in general, tributes to Carl Weathers and much more:

Crime fiction in general:  

• Crime Reads shares ten new crime novels coming out this week.
• Crime Reads shares the best reviewed crime novels of January 2024.
  
• Criminal Element share their most anticipated crime novels for February 2024.
  
• Molly Odintz shares fifteen speculative crime novels and mysteries coming out in 2024. 
• Andrea Tang explains how she managed to combine fantasy and mysteries.  
• C.J. Wray explains why older women make the best sleuths, spies and criminals. 
• Jake Kerridge wonders why crime fiction is obsessed with suburbia 
  
• Paul French discusses mysteries and crime novels set in Galveston, Texas. 
• Benjamin Stevenson explains why trains and other means of transport make great settings for mysteries. 
• H.B. Lyle talks about the joy of having characters in historical mysteries encounter real life historical figures.
  
• Lisa Gardner recalls how she went from category romance writer to thriller author. 
• The Real Book Spy reports that Dan Mallory a.k.a. A.J. Finn is about to release his second psychological thriller and recounts the many controversies the author was embroiled in.
  
• Molly Templeton takes issue with the way that reading is often framed as an elitist activity for the wealthy. 
  
• CBC Radio profiles Wilkie Collins. 
  

Film and TV:

• Matt Schimkovitz calls season 2 of Tokyo Vice more methodical, gripping and atmospheric than season 1.
  
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Death and Other Details.
  
• Jack Seale calls the documentary To Catch a Copper a shocking, disgusting real-life Line of Duty 
• Leila Latif calls TikTok: Murder Gone Viral a bizarre true crime documentary. 
  
• Michael Hogan interviews Don Warrington who plays Commissioner Patterson in Death in Paradise. 
• Hunter Ingram interviews Sofia Vergara, star and co-creator of Griselda. 
• J.P. Mangalindan interviews Alaqua Cox who plays Maya Lopez in Echo.
• Lara Rosales shares her five favourite episode of the family crime drama Blue Bloods. 
• Peter Bradshaw revisits the 1951 suspense movie Circle of Danger.
  
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1956 noir film A Kiss Before Dying. 
• Olivia Rutigliano revisits Akira Kurosawa's 1957 Macbeth adaptation Throne of Blood.
  
• Michael Gonzalez revisits the 1989 serial killer thriller Sea of Love.
  
• Fergal Kinney revisits the 1990 true crime comedy Chameleon Street. 
• Harry Cooke revisits the 2014 crime movie Trance.
  
• Gordon Greisman explains that he learned everything he knows about noir from director Michael Mann.
  

 

Comments on True Detective: Night Country: 

• Ricardo Serrano Denis declares that True Detective: Night Country mixes cold terror with magical realism.
• Kristen Baldwin declares that Jodie Foster revives the flagging True Detective series in 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. 
• Debopriyaa Dutta shares her thoughts on the latest episode of True Detective: Night Country.
• Joe Roberts discusses the symbolism in True Detective: Night Country.  
• Dais Johnston talks about the real life inspiration behind True Detective: Night Country. 
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Reacher:

• Jeremy Dick discusses how Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher novels, has a cameo in season 2 of Reacher. 
  
• The Real Book Spy reports that Reacher has been renewed for season 3.
  

 

Comments on Criminal Record: 

• Kristen Baldwin calls Criminal Record a can't-miss crime drama.
  
• 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 season 2 of Trigger Point:

• Rebecca Nicholson declares that series 2 of Trigger Point goes harder than ever. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the first episode of series 2 of Trigger Point.
  

 

Comments on Mr. and Mrs. Smith: 

• Joel Golby calls Mr and Mrs Smith a totally charming spy caper 
• Saloni Gajjar calls Mr. and Mrs. Smith a heartfelt, surprising spy thriller
  
• Kristen Baldwin calls Mr. and Mrs. Smith the rare reboot that gets it right
  
• Joel Golby praises the chemistry between Donald Glover and Maya Erskine in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
• Lucy Mangan also praises Donald Glover and Maya Erskine's romance in Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
  
• Saloni Gajjar interviews Francesca Sloane, showrunner and co-creator of Mr. and Mrs. Smith.
  

 

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

• Lara Rosales shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
• Lara Rosales shares her appreciation for the character of Olivia Benson in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
  

 

Comments on Argylle:

• Peter Bradshaw calls Argylle an unbearably self-satisfied, smirking spy caper.
• Manuel Betancourt calls Argylle an overstuffen and exhausting meta-spy action comedy. 
• Germain Lussier declares that Argylle feels like several movies in one
• Maggie Lovitt calls Argylle a chaotic spy romp.

 

Tributes to Carl Weathers:

• Actor, director and American football player Carl Weathers, best known for his roles in the Rocky movies, Predator, The Mandalorian, Action Jackson and many others, has died aged 76. 
  
• Anthony Lund shares tributes to Carl Weathers from friends and co-stars.
• The Guardian shares photos from Carl Weathers' lengthy career.

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2024 Audie Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2023 Golden Poppy Awards have been announceds. 
• The winner of the inaugural Lance Reddick Legacy Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2024 Family Film and TV Awards have been announced. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion:

• James Woolf talks about striving for verisimilitude in your writing.
• Ashley Tate talks about setting as a character.
  
• Eliot Pattison discusses how to handle nature in fiction. 
• Zachary C. Solomon talks about writing a Brutalist novel.
  
• Adam Plantinga explains how he went from writing non-fiction to writing novels.
• Chris Cander talks about fictionalizing real trauma as a means of healing 
  
• Alaina Demopoulos reports that the so-called Generation Z is rediscovering public libraries for socialising as well as reading. 
• Sophia Stewart reports that horror author J.D. Barker has come under fire for offering to pay TikTokers for making sexually suggestive videos featuring his upcoming novel.  
• Daysia Tolentino has more about the J.D. Barker scandal. 
• Ella Creamer talks about a conflict between the audio streaming service Spotify and the UK Society of Authors over audiobook royalties.
  
• Katie Kilkenny reports that the Onion Union, which represents writers at The Onion, The AV-Club, The Takeout and other sites, has reached a tentative agreement with their publisher.
  
• Laura Pappano shares a brief history of book banning in the US.
  
• Jordyn Burrell reports that the bookstore Deadtime Stories in Lansing, Michigan, fell victim to an organised gang of thieves. 
  

 

Comments on the debate about AI-generated writing and art:

• Malcolm F. Cross talks about AI, algorithms and the attention economy.
• The US Federal Trade Commission announces that they have launched an inquiry into generative AI investments and partnerships. 
• Cecilia Kang reports that the US Copyright Office unexpectedly finds itself at the centre of the battle over AI. 
• Dominic Patten reports that the estate of comedian George Carlin has sued the producers of an AI generated comedy special featuring the late comedian.

 

Interviews: 

• Paul Burke interviews Elly Griffiths.
  
• Ayo Onatade interviews Tom Hindle. 
• It Was a Dark and Stormy Book Club interviews Edwin Hill. 
• Iclal Vanwesenbeeck interviews Katrín Jakobsdóttir and Ragnar Jónasson
• Eli Cranor interviews Katie Guiterrez.
  
• Debbi Mack interviews Laurie Buchanan.
• Paul Burke interviews Charlotte Langley.
  
• BookTrib interviews Shawn Wilson.
• Kevin Canfield interviews Patrick Winn.
   

Reviews:

• Janet Webb reviews Random in Death by J.D. Robb
  
• Kevin Tipple reviews Harbor Lights by James Lee Burke  
• She Treads Softly reviews Dream Town by Lee Goldberg 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Shotgun Saturday Night by Bill Crider
• Mandie Griffiths reviews Blunt Force by Lynda La Plante
  
• Jen Lucas reviews The Fury by Alex Michaelides
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Missing Witness by Allison Brennan  
• Agatha Crowther reviews Lost and Never Found by Simon Mason 
  
• Raven Crime Reads reviews The Girl in the Loch by Andrew James Greig. 
• Jen Lucas reviews A Soul For A Soul by Carol Wyer 
• Gwen Moffat reviews Jurymen May Dine by Nick Boreham 
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Hero She Wants by Anna Hackett 
• Kirkus reviews Hero by Thomas Perry. 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews The Teacher by Tim Sullivan 
• Jon Morgan reviews The Teacher by Tim Sullivan 
  
• Sandra Mangan reviews Where They Lie by Claire Coughlan
• BOLO Books reviews Who To Believe by Edwin Hill.
• Lesa Holstine reviews Too Late to Die by Bill Crider 
• K.T. Sparks reviews Only If You’re Lucky by Stacy Willingham.
  
• Kevin Tipple reviews Obey All Laws by Cindy Goyette
• Pam Guynn reviews Radiant Heat by Sarah-Jane Collins
• Kirkus reviews The Silence in Her Eyes by Armando Lucas Correa. 
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Shitamachi Scam by Michael Pronko
  
• Raven Crime Reads reviews Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald
• The Lotus Readers reviews Halfway House by Helen Fitzgerald
• Kate Ayers reviews The Clinic by Cate Quinn 
  
• Mary Picken reviews The Lover of no Fixed Abode by Carlo Fruttero and Franco Lucentini, translated by Gregory Dowling 
  
• Aunt Agatha's reviews The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan. 
• Ah Sweet Mystery! reviews The Busy Body by Kemper Donovan.  
• Raven Crime Reads reviews The Dancer by Óskar Guðmundsson, translated by Quentin Bates   
• Jen Lucas reviews Anna O by Matthew Blake 
  
• Motherbooker reviews Argylle by Elly Conway
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Gryphon by M.L. Buchman 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Lost Van Gogh by Jonathan Santlofer
  
• Mike Ripley reviews The Sister Queens by Justin Scott 
  
• Alice Cary reviews The Curse of Pietro Houdini by Derek B. Miller
  
• Marlene Harris reviews The Bell in the Fog by Lev A.C. Rosen   
• Publishers Weekly reviews Maude Horton’s Glorious Revenge by Lizzie Pook.
  
• BOLO Books reviews The Wharton Plot by Mariah Fredericks. 
• Mary Picken reviews The Knowing by Emma Hinds 
• Ayo Onatade reviews Murder on Lake Garda by Tom Hindle
  
• Aunt Agatha's reviews Murder at a Scottish Castle by Traci Hall. 
• Aunt Agatha's reviews Death by Irish Whiskey by Catie Murphy.  
• Michelle Carpenter reviews Everyone On This Train Is A Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson
  
• Aunt Agatha's reviews Everyone on this Train is a Suspect by Benjamin Stevenson.  
  
• Aunt Agatha's reviews Twinkle, Twinkle Au Revoir by Heather Weidner.   
• Lesa Holstine reviews To Conjure a Killer by Clea Simon 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews A Parfait Crime by Maya Corrigan and tries a recipe from the book.
  
• Luke Harding reviews Sex, Spies and Scandal: The John Vassall Affair by Alex Grant  
• Crossexamining Crime reviews The Vanishing of Carolyn Wells: Investigations into a Forgotten Mystery Author by Rebecca Rego Barry 
  

 

Classics reviews:

• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1936 Hercule Poirot mystery Murder In Mesopotamia by Agatha Christie
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1945 Dr. Priestley mystery Bricklayer's Arms a.k.a. Shadow of a Crime by John Rhode.
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1945 mystery Not A Leg To Stand On by Miles Burton a.k.a. John Rhode.
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1948 Kosuke Kindaichi mystery Death on Gokumon Island by Seishi Yokomizo, translated by Louise Heal Kawai. 
• Naomi Hirahara and Polly Stewart revisit the 1957 noir novel A Rage in Harlem by Chester Himes.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1974 science fiction crime novel Web of Everywhere by John Brunner  
• B.V. Lawson revisits the 1984 Homer Kelly mystery Emily Dickinson is Dead by Jane Langton.
  
• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1996 mystery collection The McCone Files and the 2000 mystery collection McCone and Friends by Marcia Muller
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Ayo Onatade announces the program for the 2024 Bodies from the Library crime fiction event at the British Library in London, UK.
  

 

Research: 

• Kalyn Womack reports that a black death row inmate in Mississippi has had his conviction overturned, because the prosecutor in his case deliberately kept black people out of the jury.
• Christian Angeles reports that the man who committed an arson attack on the Kyoto Animation studio in 2019, killing 36 people, has been sentenced to death.    
• Natasha Lester discusses the backstabbing and rampant misogyny in the haute couture world of the 1970s. 
• Roger D. Rapaport discusses his fifty-year-long investigation of the kidnapping of Patty Hearst.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Hurry Jane" by Aimee Parkison in Shotgun Honey.
• "I Take It Black" by Steven James Cordin in Shotgun Honey.
• "The Grave Robber" by James H. Lewis in Mystery Tribune.
• "Doing The Right Thing" by Michael Brodin in Mystery Tribune. 
• "At Least Since The Third Grade" by R. P. Singletary in Mystery Tribune. 
• "The Big Turkey" by Wil A. Emerson in Mystery Tribune. 
• "Britta" by Catharine Riggs in Mystery Tribune.
  

 

Trailers and videos:

• Watch a trailer for Veronika.
  
• Watch a trailer for You'll Never Find Me.