Crime Fiction Links of the Week for November 7, 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 series 4 of Blue Lights, series 2 of Black Doves, tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart and much more.
 

Crime fiction in general: 

• CrimeReads shares ten new crime novels coming out this week. 
• Molly Odintz shares new crime novels, mysteries and thrillers coming out this November. 
• CrimeReads shares true crime books coming out in November 2026 
• S.J. Bennett discusses British mysteries and thrillers from the 1960s. 
• Richie Narvaez hosts a roundtable discussion on genre mashups and shared worlds 
• Wole Talabi talks about the intersection of first contact stories and mysteries 
• Molly Odintz shares six mysteries set on generation ships. 
• Rosanne Limoncelli shares seven essential noir books and films set in 1970s New York City. 
• Paul French shares crime fiction set in Harbin, China. 
• Gregg Olsen lists five true crime books about infamous female serial killers. 
• Scott Montgomery remembers Mark Pryor. 

 

Film and TV:  

• Lacy Baugher Milas shares seven great Scandinavian crime dramas to watch.  
• Olivia Rutigliano shares three Italian heist movies to wacth. 
• Olivia Rutigliano lists twelve crime movies where justice actually prevails 
• Stuart Heritage calls The Good Daughter a legal thriller is so full of calamity it borders on Mr Bean-like farce 
• Jack Seale declares that season 2 of The Assassin disintegrates into a soggy spy sitcom 
• Hannah J. Davies calls Tall Tales and Murder an Irish version of The Wire 
• Lucy Mangan calls Yaga an erotic witchy thriller
• Phil Hoad calls Manipulation a preposterous Da Vinci Code-esque thriller that feels like being trapped in a Ferrero Rocher ad 
• Olivia Rutigliano explains why people should watch The Night Agent. 
• Mike McCahill calls Blockhead a comic thriller of literary machismo
• Ben Rosenstock shares his thoughts on the latest episode of of Nocturne.  
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the latest episode of Pierre 
• Josh Spiegel shares his thoughts on the latest episode of The Lowdown. 
• Paul Hirons revisits the 1993 crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street 
• Paul Hirons revisits the 1994 cozy crime series Pie in the Sky 
• Paul Hirons revisits the 2009 romantic crime series Castle. 
• Paul Hirons revisits the 2011 crime drama Zen. 
• Olivia Rutigliano recounts the varied history of Ernest Stavro Blofeld in the James Bond movies and novels. 
• Paul Hirons shares his ten favourite moments featuring the character of Tosh McIntosh from Shetland. 
• Stuart Heritage reports that according to Dame Judi Dench, it was Daniel Craig's idea to kill off her version of M in the James Bond film Skyfall. 
• Amy Hawkins reports that Sanxingdui, China's first AI generated movie, has flopped badly. 
• Hannah J. Davies reports about Philippe Peythieu and Véronique Augereau, the French voices of Homer and Marge Simpson, who fell in love and got married while working on the series. 
• The Guardian reports that director Michael Mann has accidentally shot himself in the leg at a gun range

 

Tributes to Sir Patrick Stewart:

• Caroline Siede declares that Sir Patrick Stewart made morality seem cool 
• Christopher Lockett shares a tribute to Sir Patrick Stewart.
• Abigail Nussbaum remembers Sir Patrick Stewart. 
• Reactor share their favourite Sir Patrick Stewart roles and moments.  

 

Comments on series 4 of Blue Lights:

• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the penultimate episode of series 4 of Blue Lights. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on the final episode of series 4 of Blue Lights. 
• James Hibbs reports that Blue Lights co-creators Declan Lawn and Adam Patterson are leaving the show after series 4.

 

Comments on series 2 of Black Doves:  

• Rachel Aroesti calls series 2 of the spy drama Black Doves spine-tinglingly good. 
• Paul Hirons shares his thoughts on series 2 of Black Doves.

 

Writing, publishing and promotion: 

• Several Booker Prize finalists share their writing process.  
• Adam Plantinga talks about writing gritty, tough-guy protagonists in modern fiction
• Emma Burnett recounts how her novel Ex Partum got caught up in the drama surrounding the small press Atthis Arts. 
• Joe Dunthorne takes a look at the background of the AI book club scam industry.
• Victoria Strauss shares some information on the Anthropic AI settlement that writers should know.  
• Emma Loffhagen reports that A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas has become the fastest selling adult fantasy novel ever in the UK 

 

Awards: 

• The winner of the 2026 Baillie Gifford Prize has been announced. 
• Emma Loffhagen reports that Philippe Jaenada, winner of the 2026 Prix Goncourt, has admitted that he used AI after another finalists was disqualified over AI use.   

 

Interviews: 

• Debra Webb and Allison Brennan interview each other.
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel interviews Suzy Aspley
• Garrick Webster interviews Martin Webster. 
• Paul Burke interviews David McCloskey. 
• John Valeri interviews James Patterson. 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel interviews Fiona Veitch Smith. 
• Sisters in  Crime interviews Elle Hartford. 
• Elle Hartford interviews Melinda Mullet. 
• Garrick Webster interviews Keith J Lindenburg 

 

Reviews:

• Ali Karim reviews Watch the Quiet Snow by Mick Herron. 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews The Bone Mother by Suzy Aspley 
• Martin Edwards reviews The Chapel of Bones by Kate Ellis  
• Sandra Mangan reviews The Hollow by Michael Connelly  
• Joseph B. Hoyos reviews Every Hunter is Hunted by Barry Lyga
• Doreen Sheridan reviews Beneath A Broken Sky by Joshua Moehling
• Janet Webb reviews The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves 
• Jim Newton reviews No One is Safe by Simon Kernick  
• Jen Lucas and Mandie Griffiths review Hawk’s Justice by Jim Ross 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews The Long Way by L.B. Phillips 
• Chris Connor reviews The Taper Man by Nick Harkaway 
• Anthony Cummings reviews The Rhyl Poster by Tom McCarthy  
• Jen Lucas reviews The Mortician by Sharon Bolton
• Sonja van der Westhuizen reviews Surface by Olivier Norek, translated by Nick Caistor.
• Ali Karim reviews Operation Vienna by Michael Ridpath  
• Mandie Griffiths reviews Dark Accords by Morgan Cry 
• Paul Burke reviews The Voices of the Dead by Nicola Upson 
• Vicki Weisfeld reviews Ghost Code by Thomas Waite  
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews The Oxford Murders by Fiona Veitch Smith 
• Jen Lucas reviews The Christmas Dinner Murder by Sarah Dunnakey 
• Janet Webb reviews A Serving of Hope by Hisashi Kashiwai 
• In Search of the Classic Mystery Novel reviews Death At The Auction by E.C. Bateman  
• Doreen Sheridan reviews The Quilt Whisperer Investigates by Peggy Ehrhart and tries a recipe from the book. 
• Garrick Webster reviews Fresh Cut by Antti Tuomainen 
• Lesa Holstine reviews Have Courage: Longmire Stories by Craig Johnson 
• Runalong the Shelves reviews Collective - The Collaborative Art of The Anthology, edited by Dan Coxon and Pete W Sutton 

 

Classics reviews: 

• B.V. Lawson revisits the 1964 romantic suspense novel This Rough Magic by Mary Stewart. 
• Martin Edwards revisits the 1982 mystery The Keys of Death by George Sims. 
• Karin Slaughter revisits the 2010 Jack Caffrey crime novel Gone by Mo Hayder. 
• Kat Hooper revisits the 2013 Haunted Guesthouse paranormal mystery The Thrill of the Haunt by E.J. Copperman 
• Jen Lucas revisits the 2018 David Raker crime novel You Were Gone by Tim Weaver

 

Con and event reports:

• Martin Edwards reports about the exhibition "Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery" at the British Library in London, UK. 
• Ross Lister also reports about the exhibition "Agatha Christie: A World of Mystery" at the British Library in London, UK. 
• Eleanor Tromla reports about the Litquake Literary Festival in San Francisco, California, and shares some photos of the event.   

 

Research: 

• J. Tom Morgan talks about the murder of sheriff elect Derwin Brown in Albany, Georgia in 2000.  
• Alysandra Dutton explains how she was haunted by the story of the Sabine women.
• Anna Rasche talks about the Hope diamond and the trope of cursed jewels in literature 

 

Free online fiction: 

• "Rye, Shaken and Stirred" by Steven Lemprière in Punk Noir Magazine. 
• "That’s It" by Elliot Pearson in Mystery Tribune. 
• "The Rest and Relaxation Getaway Weekend" by Maria Said in Mystery Tribune.
• "Insurrection" by Thomas Piekarski in The Five-Two.

 

Trailers and videos: 

• Watch a trailer for the new Rockford Files. 
• Watch a trailer for Sherlock and Daughter. 
• Watch a trailer for series 11 of Shetland. 
• Watch a trailer for Criminal.