Crime Fiction Links of the Week for March 1, 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 season 3 of Reacher, season 3 of Yellowjackets, Watson, Zero Day, Last Breath, Toxic Town, the future of James Bond, tribute to Gene Hackman, George Armitage, Roberto Orci and Michelle Trachtenberg and much more.
 

Crime fiction in general: 

• CrimeReads shares ten new crime novels coming out this week,  
• Criminal Element share their most anticipated crime novels for March 2025. 
• Molly Odintz shares her favourite psychological thrillers released in February 2025.
  
• Gillian McAllister explains how women are upending the action thriller
  
• Paul French talks about crime fiction set in Sudan.
• Mike Lawson discusses the morally ambiguous world of contemporary political thrillers.
• Allison Epstein shares her appreciation for fictional thieves. 
• Patrice McDonough shares her favourite art world mysteries
• Cate Ray notes that psychological thrillers are finally giving middle-aged women their due
• Caroline Reitz takes a look at the different types of crime stories featuring female fellowships..
  
• Lisa Unger explains how her vacations inspired her crime novels. 
• Crossexamining Crime ranks Lee Goldberg's Mr. Monk mysteries. 
• Molly Templeton declares that people should whatever the hell they want, not things they should read for some reason or another, but don't want to. 
  

 

Film and TV:  

• Lucy Mangan calls The One That Got Away an irresistible treat for thriller fans 
• Peter Bradshaw calls Tornado a dour, pessimistic, almost surrealistically downbeat revenge western set in Scotland in the late eighteenth century
  
• Cath Clarke declares that the crime movie Papa uses brutal family murder as a backdrop for a study of parental culpability
  
• Chris Jenkins shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Astrid: Murder in Paris.
  
• Lara Rosales shares her thoughts on the latest episode of The Equalizer. 
  
• Garrick Webster shares his thoughts on season 3 of the Finnish crime drama Arctic Circle
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Harley Quinn. 
  
• Lara Rosales shares her appreciation for the character of Sergeant Trudy Platt from Chicago PD. 
  
• Norman Birnbach and Tilia Klebenov Jacobs share their ten favourite movies about diamond heists. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1964 suspense series Melissa. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1968 neo-noir film The Bride Wore Black
  
• Calvin Kasulke revisits the 1979 TV spy series Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 
• Kali Wallace revisits the 2001 surrealist thriller Mulholland Drive, 
  
• Sian Cain reports that the Australian soap opera Neighbours has been cancelled for a second time after Amazon dropped out.
• Katie Hims laments that the BBC is steadily cutting programming slots for audio dramas. 

 

Tributes to Michelle Trachtenberg:

• Actress Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harriet the Spy, Gossip Girl, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, Criminal Minds and many others, has died aged only 39.
• Benjamin Lee remembers Michelle Trachtenberg. 
• Veronica Esposito shares a tribute to Michelle Trachtenberg.
  
• Jon Blistein shares tributes to Michelle Trachtenberg from co-stars. 
• Catherine Delgado shares her favourite performances by the late Michelle Trachtenberg. 
• The Guardian shares photos from Michelle Trachtenberg's career.

 

Tributes to Gene Hackman:

• Actor and writer Gene Hackman, best know for his roles in The French Connection, Superman, Bonnie and Clyde, The Unforgiven, The Quick and the Dead, The Poseidon Adventure, Missisippi Burning, Crimson Tide and many others, has died aged 95 along with his wife, pianist Betsy Arakawa, aged 63, and their dog. 
• Ed Pilkington reports that the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog are being treated as suspicious. 
• TMZ reports that Gene Hackman's family suspects that the deaths of Gene Hackman, his wife and their dog may be due to carbon monoxide poisoning. 
• Brian Baxter shares an obituary for Gene Hackman.
  
• Peter Bradshaw shares a tribute to Gene Hackman. 
• Lanre Bakare shares tributes to Gene Hackman from fellow actors and directors. 
• Ella Creamer takes a look at Gene Hackman's late-in-life writing career.
  
• Greg Whitmore shares photos from Gene Hackman's lengthy career.

 

Tributes to George Armitage:

• George Armitage, director of Grosse Pointe Blank, Miami Blues, Hit Man, Gas!, Vigilsnte Force, The Big Bounce and others, has died aged 83.
• Andrew Pulver remembers George Armitage.

 

Tributes to Roberto Orci:

• Roberto Orci, writer and producer of Mission: Impossible III, Star Trek, Transformers, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and Hawaii Five-0, has died aged 51.
• Nellie Andreeva remembers Roberto Orci. 
• Matt Schimkowitz remembers Roberto Orci.

 

Comments on season 3 of Reacher: 

• Diana Keng shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Reacher.
• Brian Tallerico shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Reacher. 
• Diana Keng shares some casting news about the Reacher spin-off Neagley.
  

 

Comments on Watson:

• Olivia Rutigliano wonders whether Watson will finally give Dr. John Watson his due,
• Joshua M. Patton praises how Watson handles the character of Professor Moriarty. 
  

 

 Comments on Zero Day: 

• Paul Levinson calls Zero Day thriller enough, but not much like today.
  
• Kaiya Shunyata declares that Zero Day‘s pitiful engagement with politics isn’t what audiences need or deserve

 

 Comments on Last Breath:  

• Adrian Horton calls Last Breath a thrilling underwater survival drama 
• A.K. Weiler declares that Last Breath delivers underwater thrills and icy, true story tension

 

 Comments on Toxic Town:

• Rachel Aroesti calls Toxic Town a flawless drama about a real world toxic waste scandal.
• Jack Seale praises the performance of Judie Whittaker in Toxic Town.
  

 

Comments on season 3 of Yellowjackets:

• Jen Lennon shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Melody McCune shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.
• Natalie Zutter shares her thoughts on the latest episode of Yellowjackets.

 

Comments on the Future of James Bond: 

• Rob Davies and Mark Sweney report that Amazon has paid more than one billion US-dollars to gain control of James Bond.
•  Brent Lang and Rebecca Rubin report that Amazon purchased MGM mostly for the James Bond rights and was frustrated with how long it took Eon Productions to get the next Bond movie started,     
  
• Andrew Pulver asks what we can expect from Amazon's James Bond.
• Benjamin Lee shares the reaction of former James Bond actor Timothy Dalton to Amazon acquiring control of the franchise.
  
• Olivia Lee reports how James Bond fans respond to Amazon taking control of 007.

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Ada Calhoun praises the much maligned book blurb. 
  
• Lanre Bakare, Raphael Boyd, Nadia Khomami and Robyn Vinter report that working-class creatives don’t stand a chance in the UK today.
• Lanre Bakare and Nadia Khomami also explain who counts as working class and why it matters.
• Jason Sanford reports that Analog, Asimov’s, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction as well as Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine and Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine have been sold to a new owner.
• The Wandsworth Times reports that several UK newspapers have launched campaign against AI copyright plans
  
• Jennifer Schuessler reports that the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library in Atlanta, Georgia, abruptly cancelled several book events in response to policies by the Trump government. 
• Jon Blistein reports that the Indiana Republican Party has cut the funding for Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, which is intended to promote childhood literacy via free books for children.
• Shannon Maughan reports about a PEN America report about book bans in US school libraries.

 

Awards:

• The longlist for the 2025 International Booker Prize has been announced. 
  
• The winners of the 2025 SAG Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 Golden Reel Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 Independent Spirit Awards have been announced. 
• The winners of the 2025 International Film Music Critics Association Awards have been announced.
  
• The winners of the 2025 NAACP Image Awards have been announced. 

 

Interviews: 

• Garrick Webster interviews C.J. Box.
  
• Robert Justice interviews Gigi Pandian.
• Victoria Selman interviews Tod Lending. 
• Lisa Haselton interviews R. John Dingle
  

 

Reviews:

• Ryan Steck reviews Battle Mountain by C.J. Box  
• Paperback Warrior reviews The Hangman's Forest by William Joseph.
  
• Ray Palen reviews The Wolf Tree by Laura McCluskey
• Kevin Tipple reviews Encore in Death by J.D. Robb  
• Jeff Ayers reviews Midnight Black by Mark Greaney 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Little Red Death by A.K. Benedict
  
• She Treads Softly reviews Blood Ties by Jo Nesbo  
• Paul Burke reviews On the Run by Kerry J. Donovan
• Jen Lucas reviews Leave No Trace by Jo Callaghan
• Jen Lucas reviews The Dark Hours by Amy Jordan
• Paperback Warrior reviews Dark Justice by J.L. Hughes
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade 
• Jon Jeffreys reviews Johnny Careless by Kevin Wade
  
• BOLO Books reviews A Long Time Gone by Joshua Moehling.
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Saint of the Narrows Street by William Boyle
• Kirkus reviews Boystown by John Shannon. 
• Gwen Moffat reviews Hunkeler’s Secret by Hansjörg Schneider
  
• Kirkus reviews Notes on Surviving the Fire by Christine Murphy.
  
• Mary Picken reviews Small Fires by Ronnie Turner 
• Tzer Island reviews Smoke on the Water by Loren D. Estleman
  
• Lynne Patrick reviews The Frozen People by Elly Griffiths
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews The Department by Jacqueline Faber 
  
• Jane Simon Ammeson reviews Trust Issues by Elizabeth McCullough Keenan 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews Presumed Guilty by Scott Turow 
• Happiness is a Book reviews Untouchable by Mike Lawson
  
• Adam Colclough reviews Baby Teeth by Celia Silvani 
  
• Kevin Tipple reviews Early Termination by Cindy Goyette
  
• Mary Picken reviews You Are Fatally Invited by Ande Pliego  
• Jen Lucas reviews Other People’s Houses by Clare Mackintosh
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Perfect Home by Daniel Kenitz
  
• Mandie Griffiths reviews The Woman In The Wallpaper by Lora Jones
  
• John P. Loonan reviews Fagin the Thief by Allison Epstein 
• Jen Lucas reviews The Weekenders by David F. Ross
• Tricia Chappell reviews Mystery at the Station Hotel by Edward Marston
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews Murder in an Irish Garden by Carlene O’Connor
  
• Robin Agnew reviews The Case of the Elusive Bombay Duck by Tarquin Hall.
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Knife Skills For Beginners by Orlando Murrin and tries a recipe from the book.
  
• Lesa Holstine reviews The Next Deadly Chapter by V.M. Burns
  
• Robin Agnew reviews Glory Daze by Danielle Arceneaux.
   
  

 Classics reviews:

• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1928 romantic suspense novel Fly Country by Anthony Lang 
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1934 crime novel Murder Calling by David Whitelaw
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1934 Anthony Bathurst mystery The Horn by Brian Flynn 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1944 suspense novel The Sister of Cain by Mary Collins. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1956 historical mystery Framed for Hanging by Guy Collinsford.
  
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1957 Inspector Grogan mystery Murder to Welcome Her by Margot Neville
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1960 adventure novel Suddenly at Singapore by Gavin Black.
  
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 1973 adventure novel Deep Among the Dead Men by John Blackburn. 
• Joe Kenney revisits the 1975 The Butcher men's adventure novel African Contract by Stuart Jason
• Crossexamining Crime revisits the 1986 Anthony Bassnett mystery The Other Devil’s Name by Elizabeth Ferrars 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1997 William Falconer historical mystery A Psalm For Falconer by Ian Morson
  
• Clémence Michallon and Polly Stewart revisit the 2005 crime novel Die a Little by Megan Abbott. 
• Paperback Warrior revisits the 2007 adventure novel Deadfall by Robert Liparulo.
  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 2012 Sister Fidelma historical mystery The Seventh Trumpet by Peter Tremayne
  

 

Con and event reports:

• Mary Picken shares some program highlights of the 2025 Granite Noir crime writing festival in Aberdeen, Scotland.

 

Research: 

• Kathleen Hale reports about the 2014 Slenderman stabbing and the many misconceptions about the case.
  
• Charlie English reports about a CIA operation to smuggle forbidden books beyond the iron curtain in the 1970s.
• Angela Giuffrida reports that an art forger's workshop was found in Rome, Italy. 
• Jack Tamisea reports that the sewer system of Cape Coral, Florida, actually is inhabited by alligators and other creatures, unlike New York City.  
  

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Bulletproof" by Rob D. Smith in Shotgun Honey.
• "Stick Talk" by Chris Lee in Shotgun Honey.
• "Tragedy in Tahoe" by Rachele Baker in Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast.
• "If They Can Learn" by Wole Talabi in Omenana. 
  

 

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for Towards Zero.
  
• Watch a trailer for Havoc.