Reviews

CRIMEBITS is a series of unique anthologies released by The Black Spring Press Group (headquartered in London). With the release of the third volume by the end of the year, the popularity of this endeavor continues to grow. It begins with an open call for submissions....

Authors do their best writing when it involves something they are passionate about. For example, Tara Laskowski has forged a career in suspense writing by weaving in elements she already had an interested in. Things such as Halloween (The Mother Next Door), the wine...

Rose Wilding burst onto the crime fiction scene in 2023 with a debut—Speak of the Devil—that showcased a talent that far exceeded many of the veteran writers of the genre. Her innate ability to craft distinct female characters who were each fully formed, complex, and...

Casey Sherman’s The Killer and Frank Lloyd Wright is an excellent overview of the genius architect’s life for those interested in learning more about the man. The title of the book is a bit misleading, but as long as readers know what they are getting, this is only a...

Twenty-three years after introducing readers to his iconic queer private eye, Anthony Bidulka returns to his fan-favorite series with Quant. Readers first met Russell Quant in the series debut, Amuse Bouche, in 2003—a time when queer crime fiction was flourishing...

Janice Hallett released her debut novel, The Appeal, in 2021 to almost instant acclaim. Her unique style of telling the story solely through emails, newspaper clippings, and digital communications between characters quickly made the book a fan favorite—and eventually...

With The Dying Light, Ann Cleeves invites readers back to North Devon—a coastline community in Southwestern England—for a visit with popular protagonist, Matthew Venn and the individuals who make up his sphere of influence. Like many crime fiction writers before her,...

Within the crime fiction genre, there are no shortage of homages to one of the most famous alumni of the field—Dame Agatha Christie. The use of these tropes instantly becomes a shorthand, forecasting what type of story lies ahead. But the clever modern author can also...

There is no denying that there is comfort in predictability. With most books—regardless of genre or tone—readers have a set expectation, leaving room for the author’s originality to flourish without becoming a seismic disruption. But occasionally a novel comes along...

With Perfect Wives, Perfect Lies, Jennifer Anne Gordon has written a summer treat that feels like both an old school throwback and a timely piece of social satire. The reading experience is akin to drinking a vodka stinger poolside with a developing storm in the...

The Martini Club—that collection of aging, retired spies who now secretly reside in Purity, Maine—is back with another unforgettable case in The Shadow Friends, the third book in Tess Gerritsen’s latest series. Unlike the first two books in the series, The Shadow...

Over time, there has been a tendency to place all Nordic Crime Fiction under an umbrella of sameness, largely because the early successes in the subgenre were indeed dark, brooding pieces dripping with a cold and gloomy ambience, but the truth is much more complex—as...

With Not a Word, Linwood Barclay proves that a clever and well-timed twist in the early pages of a book can hook the reader and keep them glued to the pages right through to the end (and beyond). Like Harlan Coben, Linwood Barclay has built a career on writing...

“Sidebar” Reviews are extremely early reviews designed to encourage readers to pre-order novels that will be released later in the year. Miss Marple is one of the most beloved characters in the history of crime fiction. Dame Agatha Christie’s first short story...

With The Cracked Mirror, Chris Brookmyre uses literary slight-of-hand to wrongfoot readers in the most spectacular fashion, all while honoring the tropes of classic crime fiction. For fans of Brookmyre, this will come as no surprise as he has proven over the years...

Although it may have felt like a leap of faith, LynDee Walker’s decision to transition to domestic suspense has proven to be an inspired choice. Each of her psychological suspense novels—from The Pastor’s Wife to The Housewife Next Door to the latest, The Other...

Every summer, fans of Carol Goodman look forward to her newest crime fiction release. From the moment she first dropped The Lake of Dead Languages, Goodman has continued to amass a following as loyal as one is likely to find in crime fiction. This, of course, is...

“Sidebar” Reviews are extremely early reviews designed to encourage readers to pre-order novels that will be released later in the year. It is very fitting that as Louise Penny enters the second decade of Three Pines mysteries she returns to the formula that made her...

Alexandra Sokoloff (Huntress Moon) and Craig Robertson (Random) have been entertaining readers for many years with their various crime fiction releases, but with the appearance of The Grapevine, this married couple join forces for the first time. Billed as The Lost...

Curtis Ippolito’s Burying the Newspaper Man remains one of the under-appreciated gems of the neo-noir movement in crime fiction. With the release of his second full-length work—Waves of Burden—Ippolito proves that his success was no accident. This is a writer who...