Crime Reads » Essays

Headless Bodies and Why We're Obsessed With Them

Headless Bodies and Why We're Obsessed With Them

Simon Toyne on the strange allure of stories about severed heads.

By Simon Toyne | June 26, 2025

I Wanted To Write a Crime Novel Set in Paterson, NJ – Nordic Noir Fixed the Path

I Wanted To Write a Crime Novel Set in Paterson, NJ – Nordic Noir Fixed the Path

Melanie Anagnos on finding her New Jersey by way of Scandinavian crime fiction.

By Melanie Anagnos | June 25, 2025

Caitlin Rother on Letting Surprises Happen

Caitlin Rother on Letting Surprises Happen

In writing nonfiction, the research always takes you in a new direction.

By Caitlin Rother | June 24, 2025

How To Write About the Very Recent Past In a Rapidly Changing World

How To Write About the Very Recent Past In a Rapidly Changing World

To capture the just-past, first envision the near future

By Carl Shuker | June 23, 2025

How to Improvise a Locked Room Murder Mystery

How to Improvise a Locked Room Murder Mystery

Author Bianca Marais found the more she outlined, the less inclined she was to write. But could she finish a murder mystery without a master plan?

By Bianca Marais | June 20, 2025

Books About Books: Why We Write Them and Why We Read Them

Books About Books: Why We Write Them and Why We Read Them

On the charms of the bookish mystery.

By E.C. Nevin | June 19, 2025

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

4 The So-Called Avant-Garde: The Life and Afterlife of Jean-Michel Basquiat

By Michael Gonzales | June 19, 2025

What Writing For Kids Taught Me About Killing Off Adults

By Lauren Myracle | June 19, 2025

A Writer For Our Time: Why John le Carré's Work Remains More Essential Than Ever

By Rav Grewal-Kök | June 18, 2025

The Joy of Murder

The Joy of Murder

Allison Brennan on the distinct pleasures of romantic suspense.

By Allison Brennan | June 18, 2025

Infusing Eastern Philosophy into a Climate Thriller

Infusing Eastern Philosophy into a Climate Thriller

"[O]ur interconnectedness can illuminate possibilities for a future with humanity and Earth in balance"

By Dheepa R. Maturi | June 17, 2025

Down the Bayou and Under the Oaks: Louisiana as a Character in Crime Fiction

Down the Bayou and Under the Oaks: Louisiana as a Character in Crime Fiction

N.L. Lavin and Hunter Burke on the mysteries of Louisiana.

By N.L. Lavin and Hunter Burke | June 16, 2025

Crime and the City: Puerto Rico

Crime and the City: Puerto Rico

Read your way through the crime fiction of San Juan and Puerto Rico.

By Paul French | June 16, 2025

How Authors Weave Real-Life Detail Into Their Mysteries

How Authors Weave Real-Life Detail Into Their Mysteries

Gerri Lewis on the craft of creating background that enriches a mystery.

By Gerri Lewis | June 16, 2025

The Horror of a Border: Laura Elliott On Writing the Abject

The Horror of a Border: Laura Elliott On Writing the Abject

"When horror is written from the margins, it doesn’t just draw attention to our prejudices. It challenges them as well."

By Laura Ellliott | June 13, 2025

Everything’s Coming Up Cozies

Everything’s Coming Up Cozies

Karen Dukess on why the crime fiction world is embracing the cozy mystery.

By Karen Dukess | June 13, 2025

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