Crime Reads » Essays

Why Horror Is the Perfect Genre for Processing Trauma

Why Horror Is the Perfect Genre for Processing Trauma

Christina Ferko on the scars that drove her to a healing genre

By Christina Ferko | February 4, 2026

Sherlock Holmes and Me—Together Again

Sherlock Holmes and Me—Together Again

For decades, Jeffrey Siger wanted to write a Sherlock Holmes style mystery. But first, he needed fate to intervene.

By Jeffrey Siger | February 4, 2026

Isabelle Schuler on the Horrors and Contrasts of the 17th Century

Isabelle Schuler on the Horrors and Contrasts of the 17th Century

"No one was safe...This century was undercut at every turn by violence and death."

By Isabelle Schuler | February 4, 2026

A Brief History of the Detective's Vice in Crime Fiction

A Brief History of the Detective's Vice in Crime Fiction

Allison LaMothe on detectives "drinking unpleasant whiskey, thinking unpleasant thoughts.""

By Allison LaMothe | February 3, 2026

Glamorous Isolation: Why Palm Springs Is the Perfect Setting for Suspense

Glamorous Isolation: Why Palm Springs Is the Perfect Setting for Suspense

Kaira Rouda recommends her favorite thrillers set in Hollywood's desert hideout

By Kaira Rouda | February 3, 2026

Crime and the City: Osaka

Crime and the City: Osaka

A tour of the Japanese port city with a big tradition of detective fiction.

By Paul French | February 2, 2026

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

The Killer Women: How a Podcast Built a Community from Isolation

By Danielle Girard | February 2, 2026

Adriane Leigh on Why We Are Living in the Age of the Unreliable Narrator

By Adriane Leigh | January 29, 2026

The Greatest Muckrakers of the Progressive Era

By Rob Osler | January 29, 2026

Why Revenge Stories Are Hard-Wired Into Our Brains

Why Revenge Stories Are Hard-Wired Into Our Brains

Pat Kelly on the unshakable memory of a 1980's revenge killing.

By Pat Kelly | January 29, 2026

From Romance to Thrillers to Horror—and Back Again

From Romance to Thrillers to Horror—and Back Again

L. S. Stratton on finding the similarity in vastly disparate genres

By L. S. Stratton | January 28, 2026

Nalini Singh on the Many Character Archetypes of Cozies, Noir, and Thrillers

Nalini Singh on the Many Character Archetypes of Cozies, Noir, and Thrillers

The author of "Such a Perfect Family" finds perfect protagonists for each mystery subgenre

By Nalini Singh | January 28, 2026

William J. Mann on Rumors, the Press, and the Black Dahlia Murder's Enigmatic Players

William J. Mann on Rumors, the Press, and the Black Dahlia Murder's Enigmatic Players

An excerpt from Black Dahlia: Murder, Monsters, and Madness in Midcentury Hollywood

By William J. Mann | January 27, 2026

Val McDermid on Why She Starts New Novels in January

Val McDermid on Why She Starts New Novels in January

Forty books in, McDermid reflects on finding inspiration.

By Val McDermid | January 27, 2026

How Agatha Christie Played the

How Agatha Christie Played the "Game-within-the-Game" in 'The Murder of Roger Ackroyd'

The Queen of Crime played fair and played masterfully in her breakout classic.

By John Curran | January 27, 2026

Thrity Umrigar on Walking, Disappearances, and Writing After Trauma

Thrity Umrigar on Walking, Disappearances, and Writing After Trauma

The author of "Missing Sam" shares how anti-immigrant politics and the solitude of her walk shaped her new novel

By Thrity Umrigar | January 27, 2026

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