Reviews

There is something undeniable about the thrill of discovering an impressive new author with their debut novel, knowing that you are about to start an extended journey with this individual that could potentially span years. Readers will have that feeling when they pick...

Ivy Pochoda is not as prolific as many of her contemporaries in crime fiction, but she is arguably one of the most unique and distinctive voices in the genre. Case in point, her new novel Sing Her Down is a compact (288 pages), tightly wound juggernaut of a narrative...

With Killing Me, Michelle Gagnon has crafted a wholly-original take on the vigilante narrative. In her own unique style—which incorporates a blend of both light slapstick and dark humor—Gagnon captures the readers attention from page one and refuses to let go of that...

Megan Abbott is an author whose career is the envy of other creative types. In a writing journey that spans twenty plus years, Abbott has written novels, short stories, non-fiction, screenplays, graphic novels, and more—each of them unique, but containing that...

All the Sinners Bleed continues S. A. Cosby’s smooth onslaught against the complacent crime fiction genre, determined to confront casual fans and devoted fanatics of the genre with honest and compelling stories told from perspectives that have too long been...

Sarah Strohmeyer’s We Love to Entertain is a gripping domestic suspense novel combining elements of mystery, thriller, and even the cozy sub-genre. This tale will have wide-spread appeal and it satisfies on multiple levels. After securing the property at a deep...

Scholarly works on any topic—including crime fiction—come in a vast array of styles and tones seeking out a plethora of desired reactions ranging from deep respect to grudging acknowledgement and everything in between. Often the target audience is a learned group and...

Countless members of at least one generation of crime fiction fans can trace their initial obsession with the genre back to Where Are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark. That novel is an indisputable classic that has not only delighted even finicky readers but also...

At a recent crime fiction convention, a number of shoppers—including myself—noticed an unusual book on the tables in the bookroom shopping area. While most of the titles for sale naturally looked and sounded like mysteries and thrillers, this novel stood out for his...

Alex Finlay’s What Have We Done is the type of thriller that should come with a seatbelt and safety goggles. Finlay wastes not one page before throwing readers into a tailspin, sending his plot off in a direction readers could hardly expect. By that point—again, just...

The first quarter of 2023 has already been packed with some first-class crime fiction and that trend shows no sign of slowing down. The latest book to register on the “future classic seismograph” is Time’s Undoing by Cheryl A. Head. This is Cheryl A. Head’s first...

Calling Rupert Holmes accomplished doesn’t even seem to come close to recognizing his achievements. Not only has he won the Edgar Award for Best Play twice (for The Mystery of Edwin Drood and Accomplice), but he also has a successful career as a novelist (Where the...

Art Taylor has just released his second short story collection—The Adventure of the Castle Thief and Other Expeditions and Indiscretions. Unlike with his previous collection, The Boy Detective & The Summer of ’74, this gathering of stories includes both new and...

The mother and son team writing as Charles Todd debuted to immediate critical acclaim with A Test of Wills in 1996. They would go on to write more than two dozen (and counting) books in that series featuring Ian Rutledge. However, in 2009, they were not content with...

With The House Guest, Hank Phillippi Ryan continues her string of excellent cat-and-mouse stand-alone thrillers, keeping readers wrong-footed throughout as they struggle to determine who is telling the truth and whose every word is a lie. The House Guest begins as...

Keeping a long running series fresh for almost two dozen books is a challenge for any author, but works like A Killing of Innocents—the nineteenth Duncan Kincaid/Gemma James mystery—by Deborah Crombie make it look easy. The release of this new entry in this beloved...

From the moment Finlay Donovan sat down at that Panera Bread table in Finlay Donovan is Killing It, crime fiction fans knew she was a character who would be having many more on-page adventures. After the madcap escapades of Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘em Dead, Finlay and...

There are many different things that can make a novel a critical darling. It could be the depth of characterization that resonates with the reader. Sometimes the setting is brought to life in such a realistic way that readers feel transported. Or maybe the plot is...

Knowing that an Indian author, who resides in Singapore, has written a crime novel set in Mumbai, it is only natural that some readers would expect a work that sheds new light on old perspectives and something that might defy standard expectations because of the...

Scandinavian crime fiction has a reputation of being some of the most morally complex and gritty writing available in the genre. This of course is a stereotype, but like most stereotypes, it is rooted in some grains of truth. One recent example from the region—Blaze...