Crime Fiction Links of the Week for December 20, 2025
Crime fiction in general:
- CrimeReads shares five new crime novels coming out this week.
- John Valeru shares a round-up of recent Christmas crime novels.
- Erin Britton shares five festive thrillers for Christmas 2025
- In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel shares his favourite Christmas mysteries.
- Connie Berry discusses the popularity of British mysteries.
- Laura Griffin recommends six suspense novels and twisty thrillers set in small towns
- Tanya Grant shares ten thrillers with characters you love to hate
- Kate Jackson shares her favourite mysteries set aboard ships, trains, planes and other means of transport.
- Elizabeth Hobbs shares seven mysteries featuring hatpins as murder weapons.
- Naomi Kaye shares her favourite mysteries featuring flowers.
- James T. Bartlett talks about the relationship between Erle Stanley Gardner and the Las Vegas based private detective Glen E. Bodell
- Nick Kolakowski shares his thoughts on the French comic series The Killer by Matz (the pen name of Alexis Nolent) and Luc Jacamon
- Mystery writer Eileen Dawhurst has died aged 90.
Tributes to Joanna Trollope:
Best of 2025:
- Sarah Weinman shares her favourite mysteries and crime novels of 2025.
- Sandra Mangan shares her favourite crime novels of 2025.
- Vicki Weisfeld shares her favourite crime novels of 2025.
- Paul Burke shares his favourite crime novels of 2025.
- BOLO Books shares his favourite crime novels of 2025.
- Molly Odintz shares her favourite international crime fiction of 2025.
- CrimeReads share their favourite traditional mysteries of 2025.
- CrimeReads shares their favourite noir novels of 2025.
- CrimeReads shares their favourite legal thrillers of 2025.
- Bestselling crime fiction writers share their favourite books of 2025.
- Bestselling psychological thriller writers share their favourite books of 2025.
Film and TV:
- Phil Harrison calls Blue Lights one of the best TV shows of 2025.
- Michael Hogan finds series 2 of The Night Manager even steamier than series 1.
- Peter Bradshaw calls One Battle After Another his favourite movie of 2025.
- Jack Seale calls the Italian crime drama Stranded like Agatha Christie, Lost and The White Lotus all at once
- Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the Spanish crime drama City of Shadows.
- Olivia Rutigliano shares ten crime movies you probably forgot take place at Christmas
- Paul Hirons revisits the 1973 true crime drama Jack the Ripper.
- Radheyan Simonpillai revisits the 1995 crime film Heat.
- Katie Campione reports that the NCIS spin-off NCIS: Tony and Ziva has been cancelled after only one season.
- Casting director Susie Figgis has died aged 77.
Tributes to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer:
- Actor and director Rob Reiner, best known for his roles in All in the Family and New Girl and for directing The Princess Bride, When Harry Met Sally, Stand By Me, Misery, This is Spinal Tap, A Few Good Men and many others, has been found dead at his home aged 78, together with his wife Michele Singer Reiner, aged 68.
- Andrew Pulver declares that Rob Reiner changed Hollywood for ever
- Ryan Gilbert declares that Rob Reiner’s golden run of movies from Spinal Tap to A Few Good Men was breathtaking
- Pete Hammond calls Rob Reiner a really good man and a great director
- Tim Jonze declares that meeting Rob Reiner was like a visit from Santa
- Olivia Rutigliano remembers Rob Reiner.
- Drew Gillis remembers Rob Reiner.
- Wil Wheaton, who played Gordie in Stand By Me, shares a tribute to Rob Reiner.
- Benjamin Lee shares the tribute of Meg Ryan, who played Sally in When Harry Met Sally, to Rob Reiner.
- Anthony D'Alessandro shares Sally Struthers' tribute to Rob Reiner, who played her husband in All in the Family.
- Anthony D'Alessandro shares the tribute of Christopher Guest, who appeared in This is Spinal Tap, and his real-life wife Jamie Lee Curtis to Rob Reiner and Michele Singer.
- Jack Dunn shares a statement released by several close friends of Rob Reiner, including Billy Crystal, Larry David, Martin Short and others.
- Stephen King shares a tribute to Rob Reiner.
- Sian Cain shares tributes to Rob Reiner by fellow actors, directors and politicians.
- Maya Yang reports that Donald Trump could not keep his thoughts about the late Rob Reiner to himself, but publicly claimed that Reiner was died because of his dislike of Trump.
- Dominic Patten reports that Donald Trump felt the need to say more terrible things about the late Rob Reiner.
- Emily Longeretta reports that actor James Woods, though normally a Trump supporter, has criticised Trump's insensitive remarks about the late Rob Reiner.
- Stuart Heritage shares his five favourite films by Rob Reiner.
- Writers of the Guardian share their favourite moments from Rob Reiner's career.
- The Guardian shares photos from Rob Reiner's long career.
- The Guardian reports that Rob Reiner and Michele Singer's son Nick, who has struggled with drug addiction, has been arrested on suspicion of the murder of his parents.
- Dani Aguiano reports that Nick Reiner has been charged with murdering his parents.
- Benjamin Lee profiles Nick Reiner who was arrested on suspicion of murdering his parents.
- Grace Galante talks about the troubled relationship between Rob Reiner and his son Nick.
- Andrew Pulver shares more details about how Rob Reiner and Michele Singer's bodies were found.
- Andrew Polver repots that the release of Rob Reiner’s final film, a concert film called Spinal Tap at Stonehenge: The Final Finale, will be delayed for obvious reasons.
Tributes to Gil Gerard:
Tributes to Anthony Geary:
- Actor Anthony Geary, best known for playing Luke Spencer in the soap opera General Hospital, has died aged 78.
- Greg Evans shares an obituary for Anthony Geary.
- Matt Schimkowitz remembers Anthony Geary.
- Greg Evans shares the tribute by Genie Francis, who played his love interest Laura in General Hospital, as well as other former co-stars to Anthony Geary.
Tributes to Peter Greene:
Comments on Wake Up, Dead Man:
- Olivia Rutigliano calls Wake Up, Dead Man an exaltation of the mystery genre, a genuinely moving work of humanism, and a rare intervention into the "whodunnit" as a political genre
- In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel calls Wake Up, Dead Man easily the best of the three Knives Out mysteries and that’s saying something
- Camestros Felapton calls Wake Up, Dead Man still a fun and entertaining mystery but notes that it doesn’t have quite the same spark as the others.
- Leah Schnelbach has entirely too many thoughts about Wake Up Dead Man
Comments on The Housemaid:
Comments on Netflix buying Warner Bros and HBO Max:
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Molly Templeton reports that Amazon has introduced an AI feature on the Kindle e-reader that answers questions about the book and that authors cannot opt out.
- John Scalzi shares some examples of AI hallucinating dedications that he never wrote.
- Jim Milliot reports that the mass market paperback is being phased out for good.
Awards:
Interviews:
- Alex Segura interviews Ed Brubaker,
- Barbara Peters interviews Cara Black, Paula, Munier and Matt Goldman
- Victoria Selman interviews Holly Seddon, Steve Cavanagh and S.R. Masters
- Ali Karim interviews Ace Atkins.
- Peter Larsen interviews Ace Atkins.
- Authors on the Air interviews David Rosenfelt.
- Shaney Whaley interviews Ajay Chowdhury
- Alex Dueben interviews Amie McNee.
- John L. Micek interviews Mike Lupica.
- Kathleen Antrim and D.P. Lyle interviews T. Jefferson Parker
- Lesa Holstine interviews Julia Buckley a.k.a. Veronica Bond.
Reviews:
- Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Blackwater by Sarah Sultoon
- Gwen Moffat reviews Blackwater by Sarah Sultoon
- BOLO Books reviews Crimson Thaw by Bruce Robert Coffin
- Adam Colclough reviews Darkrooms by Rebecca Hannigan
- Kevin Tipple reviews Innocence Road by Laura Griffin
- Kevin Tipple reviews Hollywood Hit Men by Michele Dominguez Greene
- Colleen Mondor reviews The Executioners Three by Susan Dennard
- Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews The Writing in the Water by John Ajvide Lindqvist, translated by Michael Meigs.
- Michael Jecks reviews Caller Unknown by Oliver Johnson
- Marlene Harris reviews Burn the World Down by Anna Hackett
- Mandie Griffiths reviews Murder at Christmas by G.B. Rubin
- Grab This Book reviews Murder at Christmas by G.B. Rubin
- In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews The Mistletoe Murder Club by Katie Marsh
- Marlene Harris reviews Crescent City Christmas Chaos by Ellen Byron
- Doreen Sheridan reviews And to All a Good Bite by David Rosenfelt
- Vicki Weisfeld reviews Murder Most Haunted by Emma Mason
- Doreen Sheridan reviews Murder By The Millions by Daryl Wood Gerber and tries a recipe from the book.
- Steven Kuehn reviews A Grave Deception by Connie Berry
- Doreen Sheridan reviews When Sleuthing Spells Trouble by T. C. LoTempio and tries a recipe from the book
- Doreen Sheridan reviews Death at the Door by Olivia Blacke
- Gwen Moffat reviews An Enigma by the Sea by Fruttero Lucentini
- Robin Agnew reviews Crime Rangoon by Vivien Chien.
- Doreen Sheridan reviews Supernatural Crimes Unit: NYPD: The Thin Blue Ley-Line by Keith R. A. DeCandido
Classics reviews:
- Happiness is a Book revisits the 1931 mystery The Columnist Murder by Lawrence Saunders
- Erin Britton revisits the 1941 mystery Death in High Heels by Christianna Brand
- Happiness is a Book revisits the 1968 Johnson Johnson spy novel Dolly and the Singing Bird by Dorothy Dunnett
- Kate Jackson revisits the 1970 suspense novel An Affair of the Heart by Jean Potts
- Martin Edwards revisits the 1981 crime novel Backlash by Martin Russell.
- B.V. Lawson revisits the 1996 anthology The Oxford Book of American Detective Stories, edited by Tony Hillerman and Rosemary Herbert
- Marlene Harris revisits the 2003 historical holiday mystery A Christmas Journey by Anne Perry
Con and event reports:
- Arley Sorg reports about the 2025 Muse Writers Conference in Norfolk, Virginia.
- Melina Spanoudi reports that R.F. Kuang as pulled out of the Emirates Airlines Festival of Literature in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, as part of a boycott against Emirates Airlines over events in Sudan.
- Tiago Rogero reports that at least three writers have withdrawn from the Hay Festival in Cartagena, Colombia, in protest against the invitation of rightwing Venezuelan opposition politician and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, Maria Corina Machado
Research:
- Dick Harpootlian explains how serial killer Pee Wee Gaskins committed another murder - while on death row in South Carolina, awaiting execution.
- Sam Francis reports that a bomb disposal robot has destroyed an unattended package found near the Houses of Parliament in London, UK, which turned out to contain unsent Christmas cards by Labour Members of Parliament.
Free online fiction:
Trailers and videos:
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