THIS WEEK:In 1831, Edgar Allan Poe succeeded in his mission to be court martialed and dismissed from West Point.
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- A bizarre and violent home invasion reported by a man they called “The Baron,” and the even more bizarre investigation that followed. | Daily Beast
- Richie Narvaez on seeing the world through the eyes of a crime fiction author. | Criminal Element
- How vintage clothing specialists and other fashion experts are helping solve crime through forensics work. | The Guardian
- Charles McCarry, the former spy who became known for his sophisticated spy thrillers, has died at age 88. | The New York Times
- “[W]hat we’re seeing right now in the genre is that women are saying, well, wait a minute, I want the story to be about the woman who died. She matters.” Laura Lippman on crime fiction and where it’s going. | Topic
- Peter Swanson looks at the history of thrillers delving into issues of mental health, from Dorothy B. Hughes to Dennis Lehane. | CrimeReads
- Elaine Shannon on a new phase of international drug trafficking, and the cyber criminal who followed the startup model and put together an empire of drugs and guns. | CrimeReads
- From the moors of The Thirty-Nine Stepsto the Brampton of Rosemary’s Baby, Craig Russell looks at the most iconic settings in gothic fiction. | CrimeReads
- “For good or ill, Mississippi is also one of the last states in America still fully suffused with its original identity.” Greg Iles on small-town survival, corruption, and the Mississippi River. | CrimeReads
- Lisa Levy rounds up the very best psychological thrillers coming out this month. | CrimeReads
- Radha Vatsal looks at the syndicate behind so many class mystery series and asks, does it really matter who wrote Nancy Drew? | CrimeReads
- A look at the crime fiction of New Orleans during Carnival and Mardi Gras, featuring work from Robert Stone, James Sallis, Sara Gran, and more. | CrimeReads
- Christopher Hull recounts the time when Graham Greene and Ernest Hemingway clashed on the set of “Our Man in Havana.” | CrimeReads
- A world-class crime library goes to auction in New York City, and Rebecca Rego Barry is taking a closer look at the rarest of rare editions. | CrimeReads
- William Boyle curates a hypothetical film festival of screwball noir, embracing road trip buddy flicks, action comedies, and brooding meditations on violence. | CrimeReads
- When life spirals out of control, get lost in a mystery. Harriet Tyce rounds up 7 thrillers about what happens when we lose that elusive thing called reality. | CrimeReads
- “My characters would not play the trumpet. I would never use gumbo as a metaphor. Not jazz, either. Or voodoo.” Bill Loehfelm on writing a Mardi Gras book without the clichés. | CrimeReads
