Crime Fiction Links of the Week for December 7, 2024

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 books of 2024, Black Doves, season 3 of Dalgliesh, The Madness and much more.
 

Crime fiction in general:  

• Crime Reads shares ten new crime novels coming out this week.  
• Criminal Element share their most anticipated crime books for December.
  
• Molly Odintz shares international thrillers to read this December.
• Jacqueline Frost shares her five favourite holiday cozy mysteries.
• Michael Sears shares crime fiction set in New York City beyond Manhattan.
  
• Paul French lists crime fiction set in Lyon, France. 
• T.J. English explains how the Miami cocaine culture of the 1980s influenced the US national imagination. 
• Jane Pek points out that the detective novel is a workplace novel 
• John Brandon asks if suspense is the enemy of realism.
  
• Midge Raymond share eight crime novels and thrillers about women keeping secrets. 
• Mike Harris talks about the lesbian pulp fiction of the 1950s and 1960s.
  
• Adam Hamdy shares his favourite literary antiheroes you hate to love.
  
• Sharna Jackson recommends ten books to get kids reading.  
• Pip Drysdale recalls the harrowing real-life inspiration for her new psychological thriller
  
• Tom Gauld shares a cartoon about a John Le Carré advent calendar.  
• Olivia Rutigliano shares a quiz with comments on Christmas from classic mysteries and crime novels.
  
• CrimeReads shares a holiday gift guide for crime fiction fans.
  

  

Best of 2024:

• Laura Wilson shares her favourite crime novels and thrillers of 2024. 
• Sarah Weinman shares her favourite crime novels of 2024. 
  
• Ayo Onatade shares her favourite crime novels of 2024.
  
• Oline H. Cogdill shares her favourite mysteries of 2024.
• Liz French and Lesa Holstine share their favourite crime novels of 2024. 
• Barnes & Noble share their favourite mysteries and thrillers of 2024.
  
• CrimeTime FM share their favourite crime novels of 2024.
  
• Joan Smith and Mark Sanderson share their favourite crime novels of 2024. 
• BOLO Books shares their favourite crime novels of 2024.
  
• She Reads shares their favourite crime novels, mysteries and thrillers of 2024. 
• Jeff Popple shares his favourite crime novels and thrillers of 2024.
  
• Sarah Lyall shares her favourite thrillers of 2024.
  
• James Owen and John Dugdale share their favourite thrillers of 2024. 
  
• Aunt Agatha's share their favourite cozy and historical mysteries of 2024.
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite psychological thrillers of 2024. 
• Deadly Pleasures Magazine share their favourite spy novels of 2024.
  
• AudioFile share their favourite mystery and suspense audiobooks of 2024. 
• Paul Burke shares his ten favourite international crime TV shows of 2024. 
  

 

 Film and TV: 

• Tom Philip calls The Sticky a fun, fleet, slightly sweet crime caper
  
• Stuart Heritage calls The Agency an utterly tedious spy story 
• Nathan Rubin calls Joker: Folie À Deux a sequel devoted to punishing its adoring audiences - subversive in theory, but unwatchable in practice.  
• The Guardian notes that the Brazilian true crime movie I'm Still Here about a political murder in Brazil in 1971 strikes a chord with Brazilian audiences.
  
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on Bad Monkey.
  
• Lara Rosales shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Equalizer.
• Vince Keenan revisits the 1984 true crime movie Mike's Murder. 
  
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1988 adaptation of Agatha Christie's Appointment with Death
• William Hughes lists ten movies which were only made to preserve the rights.  
• Kate Lloyd interviews actors who appeared in international remakes of popular British or American TV shows. 
  
• Screenwriter Marshall Brickman, who wrote for The Muppets Show and frequently collaborated with Woody Allen, has died aged 85. 
  
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Jim Abrahams. 

 

Comments on Black Doves: 

• Tim Lowery calls Black Doves a stylish spy thriller. 
• Rebecca Nicholson calls Black Doves a gleefully pulpy spy thriller.
  
• Lacy Baugher Milas praises the sparkling chemistry between Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw in Black Doves.
• Ryan Gilbey interviews Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw, stars of Black Doves.
• Catherine Shoard interviews Keira Knightley. 
  

 

Comments on The Madness:

• Paul Hirons declares that The Madness features strong characters and a not-so-strong plot. 
• Paul Levinson calls The Madness a brilliantly sane and relevant thriller 
  
• Manuel Betancourt declares that The Madness further cements Colman Domingo as one of his generation’s great actors
  

 

Comments on season 3 of Dalgliesh:

• Chris Jenkins shares his thoughts on the first two episodes of season 3 of Dalgliesh.
• Paul Hirons interviews Bertie Carvel who plays Adam Dalgliesh in the eponymous crime drama. 

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Daniel Aleman talks about writing and storytelling as catharsis.
  
• Cary Groner explains how to write about spirituality while crafting a dynamic narrative
  
• Kelly Jensen shares tips for preparing your library for a potential increase in book bans once Donald Trump takes office in January.
  
• Ella Creamer reports that a study of the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education has found a significant drop of characters of colour in children's books over the past year.
• Porter Andersen reports that the Association of American Publishers is celebrating the outcome of their lawsuit against the Internet Archive.

 

Awards:

• The winner of the 2024 Joffe Books Prize has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2024 Goodreads Choice Awards have been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2024 Scottish National Book Awards have been announced. 
• The finalists for the 2024 Saturn Awards have been announced. 
  

 

Interviews: 

• John Valeri interviews Alex Segura.
• Lisa Haselton interviews G.C. Brown.
• Lisa Haselton interviews Leonard H. Orr.
  

 

Reviews:

• Mary Picken reviews City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews City of Destruction by Vaseem Khan 
• Mandie Griffiths reviews The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven 
  
• Publishers Weekly reviews Alter Ego by Alex Segura 
• Sharon Richardson reviews The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny 
  
• Kirkus reviews Against the Grain by Peter Lovesey. 
• Adam Colclough reviews Cut and Run by Alec Marsh 
  
• Marilyn Brooks reviews Echo by Tracy Clark. 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Trouble Island by Sharon Short
• Jen Lucas reviews A Drowning Tide by Sarah Lawton 
• Fiona Sturges reviews The Blue Hour by Paula Hawkins
  
• Runalong the Shelves reviews The Disappearance by Remigiusz Mroz, translated by Joanna Saunders.
  
• Ray Palen reviews Shell Games by Bonnie Kistler 
  
• Jen Lucas reviews The Professor by Lisa Sell 
  
• Adam Colclough reviews Rogue by Paul Finch. 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews Gabriel’s Moon by William Boyd
  
• John Mauro reviews Burn to Shine by Jonathan Maberry 
• Bec Kavanagh reviews Leave the Girls Behind by Jacqueline Bublitz
• She Treads Softly reviews Buried Road by Katie Tallo
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Buried Lies by Steven Tingle 
  
• Mary Picken reviews The Neighbour’s Secret by Sharon Bolton  
  
• Jen Lucas reviews  In The Blink of an Eye by Jo Callaghan
  
• Lauren Emily Whalen reviews The Close-Up by Pip Drysdale
• James Davis Nicoll reviews Cherish Farrah by Bethany C. Morrow  
• Mandie Griffiths reviews Dead Sweet by Katrín Júlíusdóttir, translated by Quentin Bates 
  
• Carol Katz reviews The Gonif by Andy Weinberger. 
  
• Jen Lucas reviews The Mitford Trial by Jessica Fellowes 
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Secret of the Three Fates by Jess Armstrong 
  
• Lynne Patrick reviews Poor Girls by Clare Whitfield
  
• Marlene Harris reviews What Child is This? by Bonnie MacBird 
  
• Carla Schantz reviews The Witch is Back by Angela M. Sanders. 
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Death at a Scottish Christmas by Lucy Connelly.
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Murder At The Christmas Emporium by Andreina Cordani  
  
• Ben Boulden reviews Christmas Crimes at the Mysterious Bookshop, edited by Otto Penzler 
• Kevin Tipple reviews Resort to Murder, edited by Ellen Hart, Carl Brookins and
  William Kent Krueger 
• Crossexamining Crime reviews Under Cover of Darkness: Murders in Blackout London by Amy Helen Bell
  
• Martin Edwards reviews Female Detectives in Early Crime Fiction:1841-1920 by Ashley Bowden.
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1928 mystery Enter Sir John by Clemence Dane and Helen Simpson
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1933 mystery He Arrived at Dusk by R.C. Ashby.
  
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1938 mystery Not to be Taken a.k.a. A Puzzle in Poison by Anthony Berkeley. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1946 mystery The Theft of the Iron Dogs by E.C.R. Lorac.
  
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 1951 children's mystery Kalle Blomkvist Lives Dangerously by Astrid Lindgren, translated by Susan Beard 
• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1962 Anthony Maitland legal mystery Bloody Instructions by Sara Woods
  
• Brian Collins revisits the 1963 science fiction crime novella "Code Three" by Rick Raphael.  
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1967 war novel Women Of The Green Berets by Rand Michaels
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Ayo Onatade reports that CrimeFest in Bristol, UK, will end after sixteen years.   
• Lesa Holstine reports about an author event featuring Peter Lovesey at The Poisoned Pen bookstore in Scottsdale, Arizona.
  
• Martin Edwards reports about an interactive mystery game event in London, UK.
  

 

Research: 

• Julia Webster Ayuso explains how forensic linguists use grammar, syntax and vocabulary to help crack cold cases.
  
• Rob Evans reports about British undercover police officer Bob Lambert, who had relationships with multiple women and even fathered a child while undercover, even though he was married and had a family.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Santa Stumble — a Christmas Crime" by Chris Lee in Punk Noir Magazine  
• "I Saw Mommy Killing Santa Claus — a Christmas Crime" by Steve Liskow in Punk Noir Magazine 
  
• "The Not-So-Secret Santa — a Christmas Crime" by Cindy Rosmus in Punk Noir Magazine
• "Home Delivery — a Christmas Crime" by Melissa Flores Anderson in Punk Noir Magazine  
• "Manila ‘44 — A Christmas Crime" by Russell Thayer in Punk Noir Magazine
  
• "Epiphany — A Christmas Crime" by Richie Narvaez in Punk Noir Magazine  
• "Notes on a Ransom" by Mike McHone in Guilty,  
  

 

Trailers and videos: 

•  Watch a trailer for Playing Nice.
• Watch a trailer for Out There.