Crime Reads » Noir/Hardboiled

Is Suspense the Enemy of Realism?

Is Suspense the Enemy of Realism?

"[T]he more success a writer enjoys in conjuring suspense...the less likely the story will exist in the realm of the real."

By John Brandon | December 5, 2024

Is 'The Penguin' the Bloody, Nihilistic Crime Saga We Need Right Now?

Is 'The Penguin' the Bloody, Nihilistic Crime Saga We Need Right Now?

"Like all other virtues, sincerity is a sham in Gotham City–another costume."

By Hector DeJean | November 26, 2024

Digging Deep, Staying with It: James Sallis on Writing, Reality, and the Danger of Creative Work

Digging Deep, Staying with It: James Sallis on Writing, Reality, and the Danger of Creative Work

A new collection spans the career of a modern master.

By Nick Kolakowski | November 25, 2024

The Backlist: Megan Abbott on Noir, Fatalism, and Denis Johnson's 'Angels'

The Backlist: Megan Abbott on Noir, Fatalism, and Denis Johnson's 'Angels'

Megan Abbott and Polly Stewart revisit Johnson's bleak and wild portrait of humanity.

By Polly Stewart | November 21, 2024

On Coming of Age in an Era of Feminist Awakenings and Roaming Serial Killers

On Coming of Age in an Era of Feminist Awakenings and Roaming Serial Killers

"Thirty-seven years on, I’ve written a novel revisiting the mix of terror and fury I felt as a young woman."

By Ajay Close | November 19, 2024

The Outsized Impact of George Cukor's

The Outsized Impact of George Cukor's "Gaslight"

The movie masterpiece spawned a psychological analysis and a host of crime novels

By Bonnie Kistler | November 19, 2024

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

Gullion and the Bullshit of Mythology

By Austin Duffy | November 15, 2024

Jacquie Pham On Historical Fiction, Colonialism, and "the Many Imbalances that Wealth, Gender, and Power Wield."

By Jenny Bartoy | November 13, 2024

Honolulu Noir: A Tsunami of Colonization

By Chris McKinney | November 5, 2024

Nilanjana Roy On Reporting on Gender In India

Nilanjana Roy On Reporting on Gender In India

When Indian women sought independence inside and outside the home in the aughts, a wave of patriarchal violence followed

By Nilanjana Roy | October 28, 2024

The Place of Murder

The Place of Murder

How setting has come to define great crime fiction – in Scandinavia, Britain, and the desert of the American Southwest.

By Sydney Graves (Kate Christensen) | October 23, 2024

In a Bleak Midwestern Noir, an Author Finds Cause for Hope

In a Bleak Midwestern Noir, an Author Finds Cause for Hope

A.F. Carter on finding signs of life in a downtrodden setting.

By A.F. Carter | October 23, 2024

Combatting Stereotypes and Writing About the War on Drugs in Crime Fiction

Combatting Stereotypes and Writing About the War on Drugs in Crime Fiction

Stephanie Vasquez on using her novel "as a way to highlight the United States’ role and the politics involved with drug trafficking"

By Stephanie Vasquez | October 22, 2024

The Best (and Most Cynical) Fixers in Fiction

The Best (and Most Cynical) Fixers in Fiction

"The Fixer operates from the shadows, seeing the whole board twelve moves deep"

By Matthew FitzSimmons | October 10, 2024

The Best Books to Read Once You've Binged Reacher

The Best Books to Read Once You've Binged Reacher

"What do you read next if you need a fix from the land of well-crafted thrillers?"

By Harry Hunsicker | October 7, 2024

Pandemic Plots: Mysteries Set During COVID

Pandemic Plots: Mysteries Set During COVID

A list of crime novels that address the plague era head-on

By Andrew Welsh-Huggins | October 1, 2024

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