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    The Con: Portraits of Grifters and Scam Artists in Book, Film, and Real Life

    The Con: Portraits of Grifters and Scam Artists in Book, Film, and Real Life

    "The con artist has a special gift for knowing what we want and giving it to us, then taking what they were after all along."

    By Lisa Unger | October 8, 2020

    The Strange History of Mickey Spillane and New Zealand's

    The Strange History of Mickey Spillane and New Zealand's "Jukebox Killer"

    In 1950s New Zealand, public fear over American pulp novels reached its unlikely peak, with one boy stabbed and another hanged for it.

    By Andrew Nette | October 7, 2020

    Why I'm Proud to Have My Books Called

    Why I'm Proud to Have My Books Called "Crime Fiction"

    For poor folks, crime is sometimes the only option.

    By Bryn Greenwood | October 6, 2020

    Why Most Con Artist Stories Are Also About Social Class

    Why Most Con Artist Stories Are Also About Social Class

    "Are we more likely to excuse fraud—or enjoy depictions of it—committed in the name of 'the finer things in life'?"

    By Emily Gray Tedrowe | October 2, 2020

    A Long Tradition of Darkly Humorous Crime Fiction

    A Long Tradition of Darkly Humorous Crime Fiction

    Satire and humor have long had an important role to play in crime novels. These authors use transgressive laughs to enhance their art.

    By Thomas H. Carry | October 1, 2020

    Alison Stine on Dystopian Nightmares and Her New

    Alison Stine on Dystopian Nightmares and Her New "Climate Chaos" Thriller

    This Week on Unlikeable Female Characters Podcast

    By Unlikeable Female Characters | September 30, 2020

    Best Reviewed
    Books of the Week

    • The Disappearers
    • The Castle: Adventures in a World of Unraveling Men
    • Agrippa
    • Under Story
    • American Scoundrel: Roy Cohn's Dark Journey from Joe McCarthy to Donald Trump
    • The Bed Trick: Sex and Deception on Trial
    • I Liked Rex
    • Asmodeus
    • 53 Days: How Hitler Dismantled a Democracy

    Crime and the City: Palermo, Sicily

    By Paul French | September 28, 2020

    Jim Thompson Is The Cynical Voice of Reason We Need In This Dumpster Fire of a Year

    By Molly Odintz | September 27, 2020

    Why Writers Are Always in Pursuit of the Maltese Falcon

    By Gordon McAlpine | September 25, 2020

    When advertising tried to create the perfect woman, thriller writers rebelled.

    When advertising tried to create the perfect woman, thriller writers rebelled.

    On the ad industry, domestic suspense, and the need for a safe space for imperfection.

    By Araminta Hall | September 25, 2020

    The Philosopher and the Detectives: Ludwig Wittgenstein's Enduring Passion for Hardboiled Fiction

    The Philosopher and the Detectives: Ludwig Wittgenstein's Enduring Passion for Hardboiled Fiction

    Wittgenstein spent his life investigating the mysteries of language. His inspiration came from pulp magazines.

    By Philip K. Zimmerman | September 24, 2020

    Ten American Masterpieces That Are Actually Crime Fiction

    Ten American Masterpieces That Are Actually Crime Fiction

    At the heart of nearly every great novel, there is a crime.

    By Smith Henderson and Jon Marc Smith | September 24, 2020

    Miller's Crossing, 30 Years Later: Revisiting the Coen Bros' Gay Irish Gangster Epic

    Miller's Crossing, 30 Years Later: Revisiting the Coen Bros' Gay Irish Gangster Epic

    'Miller's Crossing' has always been a Coen outlier. It's easier to see why, and to appreciate its genius, three decades later.

    By Zack Budryk | September 22, 2020

    Craig Johnson on Uniting the Western and the Art Heist Novel

    Craig Johnson on Uniting the Western and the Art Heist Novel

    How the mystery around a famous saloon painting entered the world of Walt Longmire.

    By CrimeReads | September 22, 2020

    The Evolution of Joe Lansdale's Hap and Leonard

    The Evolution of Joe Lansdale's Hap and Leonard

    How a liberal redneck and a conservative gay Black man formed one of crime fiction's most enduring odd couples.

    By Scott Montgomery | September 18, 2020

    There Is No Crime Fiction Without Politics

    There Is No Crime Fiction Without Politics

    Some writers think books shouldn't be political. Vanessa Lillie, author of a new thriller about white privilege and restorative justice, couldn't disagree more.

    By Vanessa Lillie | September 16, 2020

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