Crime Reads » J. Kingston Pierce

The Great Diamond Hoax: “A Deliberate and Oddly Planned Masterpiece of Roguery”

The Great Diamond Hoax: “A Deliberate and Oddly Planned Masterpiece of Roguery”

In 1870 San Francisco, two cousins walked into a mine broker's office and kicked off one of the most bizarre and lucrative swindles in American history.

By J. Kingston Pierce | December 15, 2022

Rediscovering a Vanished Species: Half-Hour TV Mysteries

Rediscovering a Vanished Species: Half-Hour TV Mysteries

Thirty-minute crime dramas were once a pop culture phenomenon. All but a few have been forgotten. This is their story.

By J. Kingston Pierce | August 18, 2022

Seven Colorful Cover Themes from Crime Fiction’s Past

Seven Colorful Cover Themes from Crime Fiction’s Past

It was a different time. A time of long legs, falling bodies, disembodied heads, and butterfly chairs.

By J. Kingston Pierce | March 4, 2022

Remembering <em>Harry O</em>, The Seventies' Second Best, Mostly Forgotten Private Eye Series

Remembering Harry O, The Seventies' Second Best, Mostly Forgotten Private Eye Series

'The Rockford Files' may have outshone the darker noir of 'Harry O', but David Janssen's gumshoe series had lofty ambitions, too.

By J. Kingston Pierce | September 1, 2021

The Case of Perry Mason’s Courtroom Cousin

The Case of Perry Mason’s Courtroom Cousin

In 1936, Erle Stanley Gardner was thinking of killing off his most famous character. Instead, he created a new kind of lawyer.

By J. Kingston Pierce | July 2, 2021

The Lost Art of the

The Lost Art of the "Cast of Characters" Lists That Opened Midcentury Mystery Novels

Wordplay, witty insults, and the occasionally lurid remark rounded out a popular feature of paperback crime novels.

By J. Kingston Pierce | December 15, 2020

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

The Unconventional Private Eyes of Stanley Ellin

By J. Kingston Pierce | December 2, 2020

The Agatha Christie Centennial: 100 Years of The Mysterious Affair at Styles

By J. Kingston Pierce | October 15, 2020

How America Once Fell in Love with Mystery “Wheels”

By J. Kingston Pierce | July 16, 2020

Seattle: Primed and Ready for Crime Fiction Fame

Seattle: Primed and Ready for Crime Fiction Fame

Exploring the city's history and character, through crime novels

By J. Kingston Pierce | March 27, 2020

Detecting During Disasters

Detecting During Disasters

Fires, hurricanes, plague—crime fiction persists in moments of crisis.

By J. Kingston Pierce | October 17, 2019

1970s Crime Fiction <br>and The Incredible Rise of 'Regional' Noir

1970s Crime Fiction
and The Incredible Rise of 'Regional' Noir

In the 1970s and 80s, Boston, Seattle, Detroit, and other regional cities became the new capitals of crime fiction.

By J. Kingston Pierce | August 22, 2019

Tom Nolan on the Enduring Legacy of Ross Macdonald

Tom Nolan on the Enduring Legacy of Ross Macdonald

And Why the Noir Icon's Work Still Resonates So Powerfully

By J. Kingston Pierce | April 12, 2019

Ross Macdonald's ‘The Moving Target': A History in 25 Covers

Ross Macdonald's ‘The Moving Target': A History in 25 Covers

70 Years of Lew Archer, Post-War America's "New-Type" Detective

By J. Kingston Pierce | April 11, 2019

Robert McGinnis: A Life in Paperback Art

Robert McGinnis: A Life in Paperback Art

93 Years & Thousands of Paintings from a "Pop Culture Rembrandt"

By J. Kingston Pierce | February 1, 2019

When Dell Flipped on Mystery Readers

When Dell Flipped on Mystery Readers

How a Publisher and Two Legendary Bookstores Made Mysteries into Jigsaw Puzzles

By J. Kingston Pierce | January 11, 2019

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