Crime Reads » Essays

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

Adam Diment Was a Swinging 60s Icon and the Prince of British Spy Fiction—Until He Disappeared

Adam Diment Was a Swinging 60s Icon and the Prince of British Spy Fiction—Until He Disappeared

Diment's sexed up spy novels were all the rage in 60s London. Then one day, he was gone.

By Luke Poling | July 2, 2021

A Quiet Hero: Why George Smiley Is and Always Has Been the Protagonist We Need

A Quiet Hero: Why George Smiley Is and Always Has Been the Protagonist We Need

"...a play in which the hero kept silent and everyone round him spoke incessantly"

By Neil Sharpson | July 1, 2021

What Makes The Suburbs So Terrifying?

What Makes The Suburbs So Terrifying?

On The New Golden Age of Suburban Noir

By Aggie Blum Thompson | July 1, 2021

Cadaver Dogs: A Nose for Murder

Cadaver Dogs: A Nose for Murder

Sure, they're not as glamorous as a search and rescue pup or a Covid-sniffing Labrador, but cadaver dogs get the job done.

By Jeffrey B. Burton | July 1, 2021

American Dreamers: On Frank Lucas, Jay-Z and a New York City Crime Epic

American Dreamers: On Frank Lucas, Jay-Z and a New York City Crime Epic

Talking with Jay-Z about growing up in New York, the gangster dream, and finding inspiration from a bygone era.

By Michael Gonzales | June 30, 2021

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

Stop Using Public Housing For Your Misery Porn

By Gabriel Krauze | June 30, 2021

The PI of Color: When It’s About More Than the Crime

By Tracy Clark | June 29, 2021

The Seven Essential Elements of Fishing-Related Crime Fiction

By John Galligan | June 29, 2021

Stealing Science-Fiction: <br>Why the Heist Works <br>So Well in Sci-Fi

Stealing Science-Fiction:
Why the Heist Works
So Well in Sci-Fi

Any genre story can be a heist story, and there's a little bit of science fiction in every heist.

By Justin Woolley | June 25, 2021

Donna Leon: A Crime Reader’s Guide to the Classics

Donna Leon: A Crime Reader’s Guide to the Classics

For thirty years, Leon's Venetian mysteries have entranced readers. New readers are discovering her work all the time.

By Neil Nyren | June 25, 2021

Bosch Season 7 Preview: In a Changed World, How Should We Feel About Police Shows?

Bosch Season 7 Preview: In a Changed World, How Should We Feel About Police Shows?

What to expect from the new, final season of the hit series from Michael Connelly and company.

By Keith Roysdon | June 24, 2021

Deadpool Creator Fabian Nicieza on (Finally) Finishing His Novel

Deadpool Creator Fabian Nicieza on (Finally) Finishing His Novel

It only took 35 years of writing comics to learn that 35 years of writing comics would help him write his debut mystery.

By Fabian Nicieza | June 24, 2021

For Lack of an Ending: How the 1970 Death of a Young Iowa Woman Became a Generations-Spanning Search for Truth

For Lack of an Ending: How the 1970 Death of a Young Iowa Woman Became a Generations-Spanning Search for Truth

Katherine Dykstra first learned about the death of 18-year-old Paula Oberbroeckling from her mother-in-law. The case file would come to consume her, but why?

By Katherine Dykstra | June 23, 2021

It's Time for Crime Fiction to Respect Sex Workers

It's Time for Crime Fiction to Respect Sex Workers

"Historically, female sex workers are often portrayed as victims, easily used and discarded as plot fodder..."

By V. Castro | June 22, 2021

How Elizabeth Bowen's Big Houses Laid the Groundwork for Irish Domestic Noir

How Elizabeth Bowen's Big Houses Laid the Groundwork for Irish Domestic Noir

Anglo-Irish aristocrat and author Elizabeth Bowen chronicled the death of her class through her sinister depictions of the "big house."

By Sarah Stewart Taylor | June 22, 2021

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