Crime Reads » Crime in History

Looking back on one of the scariest serial-killer films ever made, <em>10 Rillington Place</em>

Looking back on one of the scariest serial-killer films ever made, 10 Rillington Place

In the 1971 British film, Richard Attenborough gives a brilliant, terrifying performance as real-life murderer John Christie

By Julia Sirmons | April 15, 2022

A Brief History of Strychnine, the Poison of Choice for Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Scores More—But Why?

A Brief History of Strychnine, the Poison of Choice for Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Scores More—But Why?

Neil Bradbury on mystery's favorite silent killer.

By Neil Bradbury | February 10, 2022

On Dime Novels, Sensation Stories, and the First Appearance of Old Sleuth

On Dime Novels, Sensation Stories, and the First Appearance of Old Sleuth

"He’s not, by the way, a sleuth—his name is Sleuth."

By Henry Stewart | December 14, 2021

On the mystery novel written by A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh

On the mystery novel written by A.A. Milne, creator of Winnie-the-Pooh

In 1922, he published a clever locked-room whodunnit that caught the attention of Raymond Chandler.

By Olivia Rutigliano | November 11, 2021

Ben and Stella Dickson: From Outlaws to Folk Heroes

Ben and Stella Dickson: From Outlaws to Folk Heroes

Bonnie and Clyde weren't the only couple robbing banks and capturing hearts in the 1930s.

By Dietrich Kalteis | November 3, 2021

The Persistent Mystery of Arthur Conan Doyle's Name

The Persistent Mystery of Arthur Conan Doyle's Name

A primer to the titles and surnames of a crime fiction giant

By Olivia Rutigliano | May 13, 2021

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

A Field Guide to the Long History of Skyjackings

By Julia Sirmons | May 10, 2021

On the Dognapping Gangs that Terrorized Victorian London, and the Poet who Fought Back

By Olivia Rutigliano | April 27, 2021

Arthur Conan Doyle's The Sign of the Four and Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray Were Commissioned at the Same Dinner Party

By Olivia Rutigliano | April 16, 2021

That Time Scientists Discovered a Creature in Loch Ness and Then Realized It Was a Sunken Prop from <em>The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes</em>

That Time Scientists Discovered a Creature in Loch Ness and Then Realized It Was a Sunken Prop from The Private Life of Sherlock Holmes

An amazing example of life imitating art, concerning a movie about how the Loch Ness Monster isn't really the Loch Ness Monster.

By Olivia Rutigliano | March 22, 2021

That time Sherlock Holmes appeared in an Arsène Lupin story as

That time Sherlock Holmes appeared in an Arsène Lupin story as "Herlock Sholmès"

When author Maurice Leblanc tried to write the great English detective into his latest Arsène Lupin story, Arthur Conan Doyle protested. Fortunately, Leblanc found a solution.

By Olivia Rutigliano | January 22, 2021

When Poe Invented the Detective Story, he Changed the Literary World Forever

When Poe Invented the Detective Story, he Changed the Literary World Forever

Poe's contemporaries and forebears had a lot to say about the new genre, and his detective, the brilliant Dupin

By Olivia Rutigliano | January 19, 2021

The Mona Lisa Wasn't Really That Famous Until It Was Stolen in 1911

The Mona Lisa Wasn't Really That Famous Until It Was Stolen in 1911

Sixty detectives hunted for the small painting, which had been swiped by a cunning Italian.

By Olivia Rutigliano | January 12, 2021

In 1849, a feud between two Shakespearean actors led to a massive riot in New York City

In 1849, a feud between two Shakespearean actors led to a massive riot in New York City

The New York State Militia arrived and fired into the crowd, leaving more than twenty dead and a hundred injured

By Olivia Rutigliano | January 4, 2021

On the Lost Christmastime Tradition of Telling <br> Ghost Stories

On the Lost Christmastime Tradition of Telling
Ghost Stories

A Christmas Carol is the main vestige of this pastime, but it was once one of the most hallowed ways to celebrate the winter season

By Olivia Rutigliano | December 21, 2020

On the Incredible, Gruesome Legacy of Paris's Grand Guignol Theater

On the Incredible, Gruesome Legacy of Paris's Grand Guignol Theater

Exaggerated spectacles of violence and gore played to fainting audiences night after night, for six decades

By Olivia Rutigliano | December 14, 2020

‹ Previous 1 234 5 Next ›

Page 3 of 5