Crime Fiction Links of the Week for January 18, 2025

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 Crow Girl, The Breakthrough, The Couple Next Door, Playing Nice, Back in Action, Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, season 2 of Squid Game, Harley Quinn, the latest sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman, tributes to David Lynch and much more.
 

Crime fiction in general: 

• CrimeReads shares ten new crime novels coming out this week,  
• Laura Wilson shares her favourite recent crime novels and thrillers.
  
• Matt Lubbers Moore and Jeffrey Marks shares trailblazers of queer crime fiction.
  
• Lynn Slaughter shares five compelling romantic mysteries and suspense novels. 
• Melissa Larsen talks about thrillers that deal with love, intimacy and vulnerability 
• Megan Collins talks about the subversive appeal of the female stalker novel 
• Sara Sligar shares techno thrillers rooted in the ever-mounting tensions between technology and human nature.
• Joseph Finder talks about the connections between nineteenth century Russian literature and American crime fiction.
  
• Crossexamining Crime compares John Dickson Carr's and L.C. Tyler's takes on the still unsolved 1678 murder of  Sir Edmund Godfrey.
• Kameron Hurley explains why art connects people across space and time.   
• Bridget McGovern shares her love for audiobooks. 
  

  

Discussion of the latest sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman:

• Lila Shapiro has a detailed exposé about the sexual abuse allegations against Neil Gaiman (warning: graphic descriptions). 
• Dominic Patten reports that J.K. Rowling, herself no stranger to controversy, has compared Neil Gaiman to Harvey Weinstein. 
• Neil Gaiman responds to the allegations against him.
• Lucy Knight reports that Neil Gaiman's current wife (for now) Amanda Palmer has claimed that she is disturbed by the allegations against Gaiman, but refuses to say anything more due to ongoing divorce proceedings. 
• Sophia Stewart traces how Neil Gaiman's publishers have responded to the allegations against him.
  
• The Bookseller notes that Neil Gaiman's publishers have remained silent regarding the allegations against him.
  
• Matthew Boroson finds parallels between Neil Gaiman's Sandman comics and Tanith Lee's Flat Earth series, even though Gaiman never acknowledged Lee as an inspiration. 

 

 Film and TV: 

• Ann Michelle Harris calls Dead Boy Detectives an entertaining horror comedy which packs a lot of emotion into a short series.  
• Martin Edwards calls Carry-On a taut, contemporary thriller
  
• Phil Hoad calls Catching Dust a confident desert noir film. 
  
• Cath Clarke calls The Girl in the Pool a spectacularly schlocky hide-a-body murder mystery 
• Rebecca Nicholson calls An t-Eilean a Gaelic language crime drama should have happened years ago 
• Garrick Webster shares his thoughts on the Irish language crime drama Crá.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls the latest adaptation of William Tell an enjoyably daft action epic
  
• Jim Vorel shares his thoughts on the Hong Kong action film The Prosecutor.
  
• Peter Bradshaw calls Panda Plan a goofy cute animal rescue action film.  
• Alasdair Stuart shares his appreciation for Luther.
  
• Paul Levinson shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dexter: Original Sin.
  
• Devan Subar calls Scam Goddess an empathetic, entertaining adaptation of the popular true crime podcast
• Michael Hogan interviews Keeley Hawes, star of Ashes to Ashes, Spooks, Bodyguard and many others.
  
• Emine Saner interviews Lucy Liu, star of Kill Bill, Charlie's Angels, Elementary and many others.  
• Steve Vertlieb shares his appreciation for the work of Brian De Palma.  
• Olivia Rutigliano revisits the 1958 noir film Touch of Evil.
  
• Chloe Walker revisits the 1971 action film Duel.
  
• Amelia Tait traces the sound effect of a meowing cat that has been used in dozens of films.  
• Actor Paul Danan, best known for his role in the British soap opera Hollyoaks, has died aged 46. 
  
• Cinematagrapher Roger Pratt, who worked on Brazil, Batman, 12 Monkeys, two Harry Potter movies and many others, has died aged 77.

 

Comments on The Crow Girl: 

• Lucy Mangan calls The Crow Girl a gripping crime drama that fills you with hope for the world’s good people 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on The Crow Girl.
  

 

Comments on The Breakthrough:

• Rebecca Nicholson calls The Breakthrough the best Scandinavian noir thriller in years
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the Swedish crime drama Breakthrough. 
  

 

Comments on Playing Nice:

• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on episode 2 of Playing Nice.
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on episode 3 of Playing Nice.
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on episode 4 of Playing Nice.
  

 

Comments on The Couple Next Door: 

• Saloni Gajjar calls The Couple Next Door guilty-pleasure TV at its best and worst 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on The Couple Next Door.
  

 

Comments on Back in Action:  

• B. Panther calls Back In Action a familiar spy comedy
• Jim Vorel declares that Back in Action is stuck in the past 
• Benjamin Lee calls Back in Action an overfamiliar caper, let down by an unfunny script and a lack of originality
  

 

Comments on Den of Thieves 2: Pantera:

• Charles Bramesco calls Den of Thieves 2: Pantera a fun, flirty action bromance sequel
• Rebecca Rubin reports that Den of Thieves 2: Pantera is at the top of an otherwise weak box office weekend.
  

 

Comments on season 2 of Squid Game:

• Sara Merican interviews Wi Ha-jun, who plays Hwang Jun-ho in Squid Game.
• William Hughes reports that Netflix is now claiming that Squid Game season 2 is its third-most-watched season of TV of all time, after the show's first season (and Wednesday), though there is no way to check.

 

Comments on Harley Quinn:  

• Jarrod Jones declares that Harley Quinn still warms the heart and grates the nerves 
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the season 5 premiere of Harley Quinn.

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Mackenzie Reid explains how she went from writing songs to writing novels.
• Sandra Chwialkowska explains how to tell whether your idea works best as a novel or a screenplay. 
• Jessie Garcia shares six tips for pulling off a really good plot twist.
  
• Jason Sanford shares his latest genre grapevine column. 
• Jim Milliot reports that a new government report cites ongoing concern over pirate sites
  
• Robert Booth reports how several British writers, artists and musicians have criticised the British government's plan to allow AI companies to use copyrighted works as training data for their systems without compensating the artists. 
• Ed Newton-Rex declares that the British government's AI plan could be good for the British people – except the creatives it will throw under the bus 
  
• Nathalie op de Beeck and Claire Kirch recount how the Los Angeles wildfires have affected bookstore and publishers in Los Angeles.

 

Awards:

• The finalists for the 2025 Lefty Awards have been announced.
• The 2025 MWA Grand Masters as well as the winners of the Raven and Ellery Queen Awards have been announced.
  
• The finalists for the 2025 WGA Awards have been announced. 
  

 

Interviews: 

• Authors on the Air interviews Alafair Burke,
  
• The Hugo, Girl! podcast interviews Ann Michelle Harris. 
• Paul Burke and Scott Blackburn interview Wes Browne. 
• John Valeri interviews Brian Cuban.
  
• John Valeri interviews Scott Turow. 
• Garrick Webster interviews Dandy Smith.
  
• Lisa Haselton interviews Paul G. Wright.
  

 

Reviews:

• Sharon Richardson reviews The Big Empty by Robert Crais
  
• Marlene Harris reviews See How They Hide by Allison Brennan
• Janet Webb reviews Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan
  
• BOLO Books reviews The Note by Alafair Burke. 
• Paul Burke reviews Edda Green by Peter Sarda
• Adam Colclough reviews Liar's Island by T.O. Munro.
  
• Jen Lucas reviews The Last Truths We Told by Holly Watt
  
• BOLO Books reviews Tell Me What You Did by Carter Wilson
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Lost House by Melissa Larsen
• Marion Deeds reviews The Spite House by Johnny Compton  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Estate by Sarah Jost
  
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews The Seventh Floor by David McCloskey 
  
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews The Silent Watcher by Victor Methos
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews The Bookseller by Tim Sullivan
  
• Alex Clark reviews Alive in the Merciful Country by A.L. Kennedy
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Rebellious Grace by Jeri Westerson  
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Blood is Blood by Will Thomas
• Jen Lucas reviews Nightingale & Co by Charlotte Printz, translated by Marina Sofia
  
• Marlene Harris reviews Holmes is Missing by James Patterson and Brian Sitts  
  
• Jon Morgan reviews White City by Dominic Nolan 
  
• Jen Lucas reviews Death In The Arctic by Tom Hindle
  
• Robin Agnew reviews A Death in Diamonds by S.J. Bennett. 
• Jen Lucas reviews Murder On The Marlow Belle by Robert Thorogood
  
• Sandra Mangan reviews An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris  
• Jen Lucas reviews An Ethical Guide to Murder by Jenny Morris  
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Irish Soda Bread Murder by by Carlene O’Connor, Peggy Ehrhart and Liz Ireland 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Gingerbread Danger by Amanda Flower and tries a recipe from the book.
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Incident of the Book in the Nighttime by Vicki Delany 
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook by Joanne Fluke and tries a recipe from the book,
  

 

Classics reviews:

• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1932 Charlie Chan mystery Keeper of the Keys by Earl Derr Biggers 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1952 mystery Death at the Dance by John Rhode.
  
• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1952 mystery The Clock That Wouldn’t Stop by Elizabeth Ferrars
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1961 revenge thriller Hunter at Large by Thomas B. Dewey.
  
• Cora Buhlert revisits the 1969 science fiction crime anthology Crime Prevention in the 30th Century, edited by Hans Stefan Santesson, and the 1970 science fiction thriller Drug of Choice by John Lange a.k.a. Michael Crichton. 
  
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1971 mystery Words for Murder Perhaps by Edward Candy
• James Davis Nicoll revisits the 2008 Detective Galileo police procedural Salvation of a Saint by Keigo Higashino, translated by Alexander O. Smith
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Lizzie Hayes announces some of the guests at the 2025 CrimeFest in Bristol, UK.
  
• Ayo Onatade shares some information about the 2025 St. Hilda's Crime Fiction Weekend in Oxford, UK.
• Crossexamining Crime reports about a stage adaptation of Agatha Christie's Murder on the Orient Express, adapted for the stage by Ken Ludwig and was directed by Lucy Bailey, which is currently playing in Newcastle, UK.
  
• Manny Moreno reports that the building and archives of the Theosophical Society in Altadena, California, including a collection of paintings, have been completely destroyed by wildfires.
• Sam Lubbell reports about the many historically and architecturally important buildings destroyed by the Los Angeles wildfires, including the former homes of western writer Zane Grey, western star Will Rogers and map tyconn Rand McNally. 
•  

 

Research: 

• Helen Davidson and Rebecca Ratcliffe report about Chinese actor Wang Xing who was kidnapped in Thailand by gangs operating out of Myamar and eventually rescued. 
• Bradford Morrow shares a brief history of literary forgers and forgery 
• Joshua Kaplan reports about John Williams who infiltrated a far right militia. 
• Michael Gonzales talks about street gangs in New York City in the 1970s. 
• Eric Dezenhall talks about the myth and reality of the American mafia.
• Michael Cannell talks about the relationship between the mafia and food.
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Break a Leg, Daryl" by April Kelly in Shotgun Honey.
  
• "Oneirologica Peripatetum" by Nemo Arator in Mystery Tribune.
• "The Temporary Murder of Thomas Monroe" by Tia Tashiro in Clarkesworld.
  
• "Prévoyance" by Tariro Ndoro in Omenana. 
  

 

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for Daredevil: Born Again.