Crime Fiction Links of the Week for February 28, 2026

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 Under the Salt Marsh, The Bluff, 56 Days, Dirty Business, season 2 of Paradise,,a scandal at the BAFTA Awards, the battle for Warner Bros, tributes to Robert Carradine and much more.
 

Crime fiction in general: 

• CrimeReads shares ten new crime novels coming out this week.
• CrimeReads shares crime novels coming out in paperback in February. 
• CrimeReads lists the best reviewed crime novels of February. 
• Christopher Huang talks about crime fiction as a proxy for real life justice  
• James Davis Nicoll shares a brief survey of Canadian political thrillers
• Lisa G. Matthews lists five great father-daughter crime-solving duos  
• Emily Listfield shares six crime novels featuring explosive family secrets  
• Isabel Booth shares four thrillers that capture the horror of missing or abandoned siblings
• Jennifer Sklias-Gahan talks about gothic fiction and the magic of storytelling 

 

Film and TV:  

• Olivia Rutigliano lists new crime TV series to watch this weekend. 
• Chris Connor shares his thoughts on Crime 101 and compares the film to the Don Winslow novella it is based upon. 
• Lucy Mangan calls Vanished a desperately daft mystery caper 
• Sarah Dempster calls The Lady just another TV series that turns a horribly bleak and upsetting real-life crime into entertainment. 
• Brian Tallerico shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Dark Winds. 
• Chris Jenkins shares his thoughts on episode 5 of season 5 of Astrid: Murder in Paris. 
• Brian Tallerico shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Hijack.
• Jack Seale calls the documentary Murder Case: The Hunt for Arlene Fraser’s Killer an enraging tale of domestic violence and murder 
• Lucy Mangan calls The Dunblane Tapes a deeply moving documentary.  
• Michael Hogan interviews Holliday Grainger, star of The Capture. 
• Paul Hirons revisits the 1996 cosy crime series Hetty Wainthropp Investigates 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 2010 action thriller Salt.  
• Benjamin Svetkey explains why James Van Der Beek was broke at the time of his death. 
• Max Gao reports that Grey's Anatomy paid tribute to its late star Eric Dane.  
• A study of the Center for Scholars and Storytellers at the University of California in Los Angeles has found out that young people would like to see more compassionate and supportive portrayals of masculinity.
• Max Goldbart reports that the UK actors union Equity has called for a boycott of the BBC charter renewal survey over AI concerns.

 

Tributes to Robert Carradine: 

• Actor Robert Carradine, best known for his roles in Revenge of the Nerds, Django Unchained, Escape from LA, The Big Red One and Lizzie McGuire, has died aged 71. 
• Drew Gillis remembers Robert Carradine. 
• Ryan Gilbey shares an obituary for Robert Carradine. 

 

Comments on 56 Days: 

• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on 56 Days. 
• Paul Hirons explains how 56 Days differs from Catherine Ryan Howard's eponymous novel.

 

Comments on Under the Salt Marsh: 

• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on episode 5 of Under the Salt Marsh. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on episode 6 of Under the Salt Marsh. 
• Paul Hirons wonders who the killer in Under the Salt Marsh is and shares an overview of the suspects.

 

Comments on The Bluff:

• Caroline Siede calls The Bluff a rollicking and ridiculous pirate romp. 
• Owen Myers calls The Bluff a swashbuckling and often gory tale of 19th-century buccaneers in the Caribbean

 

Comments on season 2 of Paradise:

• Brian Tallerico declares that Paradise struggles to find direction in season 2
• Cheryl Eddy declares that season 2 of Paradise brings even more tension and thrills 
• Saloni Gajjar shares her thoughts on the season 2 premiere of Paradise. 
• Inspired by Paradise, Fallout and Silo, Duncan Barrett discusses the popularity of TV shows set in or around nuclear bunkers. 

 

Comments on Dirty Business:

• Paul Hirons declares that Dirty Business turns systemic incompetence, corporate opacity and regulatory failure into compelling television. 
• Jack Sealle declares that if the true crime drama Dirty Business doesn’t incite righteous anger over polluted water then nothing will  

 

Comments on the battle for Warner Bros: 

• Alex Weprin reports that Netflix has backed out of the bidding war for Warner Bros and that Paramount is now set to buy Warner Bros. 
• Jesse Hassenger wonders whether Netflix or Paramount would be a better owner for Warner Bros.  

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Ian McGuire talks about the thrills and the utter despair involved in writing fiction 
• Stewart Hotston explains why "show don't tell" is mostly bullshit advice. 
• Lincoln Michel explains what not reading does to your writing. 
• Ellie Alexander talks about drafting and creativity in the AI era 
• Jennifer K. Breedlove talks about ordinary heroes who take whatever resources and skills they have to step up and solve the crime. 
• Rebecca Philipson talks about naming characters.
• Taylor Adams talks about writing about claustrophobia 
• Rebecca Philipson explains how autobiographical bits appeared in her serial killer novel.
• Brenda W. Clough shares a guide to author readings. 
• Charlie Jane Anders speaks out about losing her job as an SFF book reviewer at the Washington Post. 

 

Awards: 

• The winner of the 2026 Pepe Carvalho Award has been announced.
• The winners of the 2026 Prix Mystère de la Critique have been announced. 
• The shortlist for the 2025 Australian Romance Readers Awards has been announced. 
• The winners of the 2026 BAFTA Film Awards have been announced. 
• The longlist for the 2026 International Booker Prize has been announced.  
• B.V. Lawson lists non-fiction crime books nominated for various genre awards in 2025. 

 

Comments on the scandal at the BAFTA Awards ceremony:

• Andrew Pulver reports about a massive scandal at the 2026 BAFTA Awards ceremony, when a Tourette Syndrome in the audience shouted racial slurs as a verbal tic linked to his disease.    
• Alex Ritman reports about the 2026 BAFTA Award controversy and shares an apology by the organisers. 
• K.J. Yossman and Ellisa Shafer report that John Davidson, disability activist with Tourette Syndrome, has apologised for yelling slurs during the ceremony.  
• Clayton Davis interviews John Davidson about the BAFTA Awards incident. 
• Catherine Shoard critiicises the BBC for editing out political remarks before broadcasting the BAFTA Awards ceremony, but not the racial slurs. 
• Stuart Heritage declares that they should just broadcast the BAFTA Award ceremony live. 
• Michael Savage and Andrew Pulver report that the BBC has apologised for airing the BAFTA Award ceremony with the racial slurs included, claiming the producers did not hear them. 

 

Interviews: 

• D.P. Lyle and Kathleen Antrim interview Linda Castillo. 
• Paul Burke interviews Howard Linskey. 
• John Charles interviews Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Susan Walter 
• Garrick Webster interviews Oliver Johnson. 
• Deborah Kalb interviews Sandra K. Griffith. 
• Deborah Kalb interviews Deborah Goodrich Royce. 
• D.P. Lyle interviews Douglas Pratt and Nicholas Harvey

 

Reviews:

• Kevin Tipple reviews Stolen in Death by J.D. Robb 
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews A Gift Before Dying by Malcolm Kempt  
• Jeff Ayers reviews The Crossroads by C.J. Box 
• Jen Lucas reviews Sharks by Simone Buchholz, translated by Rachel Ward 
• Mary Picken reviews Forbidden Waters by Rob Parker 
• Mary Picken reviews Adrift by Will Dean 
• Margaret Agnew reviews A Long Dark Night by Lilli Sutton. 
• Robin Agnew reviews The Wolves are Watching by Victoria Houston.
• Chris Connor reviews The Whispering Bones by Andrew Lowe 
• Robin Agnew reviews Away to Me by Patricia B. McConnell. 
• Kevin Tipple reviews A Study in Secrets by Jeffrey Siger 
• Jeff Ayers reviews The Hard Line by Mark Greaney 
• Marlene Harris reviews The Murder at World’s End by Ross Montgomery 
• Julia Kitvaria Sarene reviews Seams Like Murder and Backstitched and Stabbed by Tilly Wallace.
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Murder By The Book by M.R.G. Davies  
• Jeff Ayers reviews I’m Not the Only Murderer in My Retirement Home by Fergus Craig 
• Robin Agnew reviews The Curious Case of the Poisoned Professor by Lucy Connelly.
• Lesa Holstine reviews Poison at the Wild Haggis Bookshop by Jackie Baldwin 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Booking for Trouble by Jenn McKinlay
• Doreen Sheridan reviews A Spirited Supper at Dundoon Castle by Darci Hannah and tries a recipe from the book
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Sugar and Spite by M.C. Beaton and R.W. Green
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Montgomery Bonbon – Murder At The Museum by Alasdair Beckett-King  
• Kate Jackson reviews Nothing but Murders and Bloodshed and Hanging: Stories of Crime and Detection by a Pioneering Victorian Mystery Writer by Mary Fortune, edited by Lucy Sussex and Megan Brown 
• Kate Jackson reviews Agatha Christie’s London: A Historical Guide to the Queen of Crime’s Capital by Tina Hodgkinson 

 

Classics reviews: 

• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1935 Merrion and Arnold mystery Death of Mr. Gantley by Miles Burton 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1935 Sir Henry Merivale mystery The Unicorn Murders by Carter Dickson 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel revisits the 1937 mystery The Burning Court by John Dickson Carr 
• Happiness is a Book revisits the 1966 Mrs. Pollifax mystery The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman 
• Mandie Griffiths revisits the 2002 Tom Thorne thriller Scaredy Cat by Mark Billingham 
• Jen Lucas revisits the 2006 crime novel Tombstoning by Doug Johnstone
• Mandie Griffiths revisits the 2015 Kim Stone mystery Evil Games by Angela Marsons 

 

Con and event reports:

• Mary Picken shares the program of the 2026 Granite Noir Festival in Aberdeen, Scotland. 
• Ayo Onatade announces the guests for the 2026 Capital Crime festival in London, UK. 
• Ali Karim reports about the 2026 Michael Joseph Penguin Crime Party in London, UK. 
• Youmana Khatib reports about a wake for the The Washington Post’s books section held in Washington DC.  
• Priya Sridhar shares tips for recovering from volunteer burnout.

 

Research: 

• Mattha Busby reports that US basketball player Jarred Shaw has escaped execution in Indonesia, but his prison ordeal continues after unwisely taking supposedly medical cannabis in a country with strict drug laws.
• Tom Hardin talks about insider trading on Wall Street. 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "The Ones That Shoot Back" by C. Inanen in Yellow Mama.
• "Allow Me" by Caleb Merritt in The Five-Two.
  
  

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for Gone.