Crime Fiction Links of the Week for January 13, 2018
Crime fiction in general:
- Lee Child attempts to explain why crime fiction is more popular than ever.
- Margot Kinberg talks about crime novels where a single choice drives the plot.
- Annette Wren shares her appreciation for the Lady Charlotte Holmes, Consulting Detective series by Sherry Thomas.
- Jose Ignacio revisits The Adventure of the Christmas Pudding, a 1960 Hercule Poirot story by Agatha Christie.
- Jamie Bernthal revisits the 1932 Maigret mystery The Madman of Bergerac by Georges Simenon.
- Jake Hinkson revisits Maigret, Lognon and the Gansters by Georges Simenon.
- Booker Talk revisits the 1954 crime novel From Among the Dead by Pierre Boileau and Thomas Narcejac, which was the basis for Alfred Hitchcock's class thriller Vertigo.
Film and TV:
- Bob Pastorella discusses how modern television influenced storytelling in the horror genre and elsewhere.
- Peter Bradshaw calls Luc Besson's latest film Renegades a ho-hum action film.
- Scott Roxborough shares his thoughts on Fatih Akin's terrorism drama In the Fade.
- Ben Travers shares his thoughts on the British road trip cum crime series The End of the Fucking World.
- Jonathan Ringer reviews the TV series Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams.
- William Earl reports that Ridley Scott already has plans for a third Blade Runner movie.
- Jeff Sneider reports that Marvel is finally planning to make a Black Widow movie and has hired a screenwriter.
- Jacob Hill reports that a TV spin-off of John Wick is in development.
- Sophia Moir reports that Idris Elba has started filming season 5 of Luther.
- Todd Boyd takes a look at the so-called blaxploitation movies of the early 1970s and wonders if it's time for a revival.
- Kate Stanhope reports that the popular crime drama Major Crimes will end after season 6, because the channel that broadcasts it is changing its orientation.
- Danish actress Greta Thyssen, who appeared in several noir films, died aged 90.
- Canadian actor Donnelly Rhodes, who appeared in several crime dramas and other TV shows, has died aged 80.
Comments on The X-Files:
- Tara Lynne shares her thoughts on the season 11 premiere of The X-Files.
- Cheryl Eddy declares that the second episode of season 11 of The X-Files reminded her why she loves Mulder and Scully.
- Matt Fowler also prefers episode 2 of the latest season of The X-Files to the season premiere.
- Kelly Connolly is also more pleased with episode 2 than with the season premiere of The X-Files.
- Johanna Schneller declares that the warmed over X-Files leave her in disbelief.
- Gillian Anderson, who plays Dana Scully, has confirmed that she is leaving both The X-Files and American Gods after the current season.
Comments on Hard Sun:
- Rebecca Nicholson calls Hard Sun a gutsy apocalyptic drama.
- Ben Dowell calls Hard Sun a brutal but gripping watch.
- Jasper Rees calls Hard Sun an unbelievable apocalyptic thriller.
- Stacia Riggs calls Hard Sun bonkers and bloody.
- Georgia Humphreys profiles Agyness Deyn and Jim Sturgess, the stars of Hard Sun.
- Ben Dowell reports that Hard Sun creator Neil Cross wants to make five seasons of the apocalyptic drama.
- Inspired by Hard Sun, Randall Colburn wonders why apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic TV dramas are so popular.
- Also inspired by Hard Sun, David Robson takes a look at other filmic apocalypses.
Comments on Proud Mary:
- David Edelstein calls Proud Mary rhythmless, but with a few standout performances.
- John DeFore calls Proud Mary a dud crime movie, which tries but fails to evoke some blaxploitation cool.
- Simon Abrams declares that Proud Mary is an assassin thriller that fires blanks.
- Glenn Kenny praises Taraji P. Henson's performance in Proud Mary.
- Devan Coggan declares that Taraji P. Henson deserves better than the stale Proud Mary.
- Witney Seibold agrees hat Taraji P. Henson needs better material, if she wants to become an action star.
- Katie Rife declares that Taraji P. Henson delivery a compelling performance in Proud Mary, but is sadly stuck in a incompetently directed mess of a movie.
- Ira Madison II calls Proud Mary and action film without action and wonders why Hollywood won't let black women kick arse.
- Ira Madison III wonders why Sony isn't doing more to promote Proud Mary.
- Chris Lee wonders if Sony is ashamed of Proud Mary.
- Ashley Lee profiles Taraji P. Henson, star of Proud Mary.
Comments on The Commuter:
- Steve Rose declares that the action thriller The Commuter, starring Liam Neeson once more rescuing his abducted family, is "peak Neeson".
- Matt Goldberg calls The Commuter a fast-paced action movie with Hitchcockien thrills.
- Kenneth Turan declares that The Commuter sticks to the formula for such movies, but does it well.
- Don Kaye calls The Commuter formulaic and less well made than similar previous movies starring Liam Neeson.
- Richard Roeper declares that one can see the twists in The Commuter coming from a mile off.
- Ignatiy Vishnevetsky wishes that every thriller released in January were as smart-dumb as The Commuter.
- Richard Brody uses The Commuter to question how some movie critics are using the term "auteur".
- Aaron Couch explains how Liam Neeson's action roles are aging with him.
Comments on McMafia:
- Rachel Cooke views programs like McMafia as the future of BBC Drama.
- David Stubbs shares his thoughts on the latest episode of McMafia.
- Inspired by McMafia, Gavin Haynes takes a look at the history of Russian villains in film and TV.
Comments on All the Money in the World:
- Donald Clarke calls All the Money in the World one of the most satisfying films Ridley Scott has made this century.
- Ryan Gilbey mainly focusses on the fact that Kevin Spacey's role was cut from All the Money in the World and replaced by Christopher Plummer.
Comments on Black Mirror:
- Ashley Nkadi shares her thoughts on the Black Mirror episode "Black Museum".
- Abraham Riesman explains why Black Mirror's digital prisons are so haunting,
- Balázs Farkas shares his thoughts on the entire season 4 of Black Mirror.
- Charles Bramesco ranks every episode of Black Mirror from worst to best.
- Ross Johnson also ranks every episode of Black Mirror from worst to best.
- Natalie Zutter notes that Black Mirror seems to be set in a shared universe, since several episodes are connected.
- Dan Stubbs interviews Charlie Brooker, creator of Black Mirror.
Comments on Search Party:
- Anna Leszkiewicz shares her appreciation for the noir mystery sitcom Search Party.
- Peter Foy calls Search Party the crime series Millennials need.
Awards:
Writing, publishing and promotion:
- Travis Elborough shares writing tips from famous authors.
- Jared A. Brock shares writing advice from several bestselling authors.
- Darryl Ucheya shares a writing tip that will get you through a slump.
- A.J. Goode talks about writing for love rather than for money.
- Kelly Robson shares some advice for characterisation.
- Mladen Reljanovic talks about foreshadowing.
- Karen DeBonis explains that editing is cheaper than therapy.
- The Guardian interviews Mark Billingham.
- John Valeri interviews Aimee Hix.
- John Valeri also interviews C.J. Tudor.
- Crime Fiction Lover interviews Jonathan Lyon.
Reviews:
- Crime Fiction Lover reviews The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor.
- Jen Lucas also reviews The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor.
- Gabrino Iglesias also reviews The Chalk Man by C.J. Tudor.
- Janet Webb reviews Darkness, Sing Me a Song by David Housewright.
- Aida Edemariam reviews Lullaby by Leila Slimani, translated by Sam Taylor.
- Raven Crime Reads reviews I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May.
- A Crime Reader's Blog also reviews I'll Keep You Safe by Peter May.
- Kristin Centorcelli reviews The Wife Between Us by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen.
- Vicki Weisfeld reviews The End of Lies by Andrew Barrett.
- Janet Webb reviews Two Girls Down by Louisa Luna.
- Craig Sisterson reviews Deep Blue Trouble by Steph Broadribb.
- Dick Lochte reviews A Legacy of Spies by John Le Carrè.
- Jamie Bernthal reviews The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse.
- Crime Fiction Lover reviews Plague Pits and River Bones by Karen Charlton.
- Doreen Sheridan reviews A Reckoning in the Back Country by Terry Shames.
- Mrs. Bloggs' Books reviews Dark Pines by Will Dean.
- Doreen Sheridan reviews Dial M for Mousse by Laura Bradford and tries a recipe from the book.
- Nicola Carr reviews Justice, Mercy and Caprice: Clemency and the Death Penalty in Ireland by Ian O'Donnell.
Con reports:
- Freya Clements reports about the Noireland crime festival in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
- Registration is open for the 2018 Iceland Noir crime festival in Reykjavik, Iceland.
Research:
- Take a look inside the FBI's Hazardous Devices School in Huntsville, Alabama.
- The Forensics Library takes a look at bodily fluid analysis.
Free online fiction:
- "Keep Portland Weird" by Tom Larsen at Akashic Books.
- "Lights Out" by John M. Floyd in Flash Bang Mysteries.
Odds and ends:
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