Essays

The Disposable Spy: Or, How To Get Away With Revealing Agency Secrets In a Novel

The trick is to have your spies embrace "techniques that used to be valuable, but are probably hardly ever employed these days."

June 14, 2022  By Richard A. Clarke
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How A Break-In and A Blizzard Shaped April Henry's New Mystery

"As a result, Two Truths and a Lie has far more truths than lies."

June 13, 2022  By April Henry
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Early Modern Medicine, Poison & Apothecary

On the range of cures, effective or otherwise, available in the seventeenth century.

June 10, 2022  By Joanne Burn
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Don’t Stop Believing: Mystery at the Heart of The Sopranos

15 years after it went off the air, the show's commitment to spirituality and ambiguity still set it apart.

June 10, 2022  By Zach Vasquez
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Why Some of the Best Thrillers Are Also Hilarious

Unless you want your reader to be utterly terrified, "you've gotta do something to leaven the topic."

June 10, 2022  By James Byrne
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The Cold War Boudoir: Bugs, Wigs, and Wiretaps

Caroline Woods on the dark underbelly of the legendary midcentury New York literary magazine set.

June 9, 2022  By Caroline Woods
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Adi Alsaid: On Art and My Stupid Little Notebook

"[W]e live in a uniquely rich world of art. And only about a third of it is Christmas rom-coms on Netflix."

June 9, 2022  By Adi Alsaid
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When the House Talks Back: Environments that Transform into Full-Fledged Characters

John David Mann on transformative settings

June 8, 2022  By John David Mann
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On Finding Allies In Fictional Authors

Writing from the perspective of a made-up author can add the extra distance needed for an honest, critical outlook on society.

June 8, 2022  By John Jantunen
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Murder Isn't Funny. But Gallows Humor Is!

"In real life, [murder is] devastating....What is funny—in life and on the page—is how people cope with the savagery and finality of a senseless homicide."

June 8, 2022  By Marshall Karp
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