CrimeReads Brief: Week of September 16, 2018

THIS WEEK: In 1986, David Lynch’s surrealist neo-noir, Blue Velvet, premiered.

• • Novelist Nancy Crampton Brophy, who wrote about romance and how to get away with murder, is arrested for the murder of her husband in Portland, Oregon. | The Washington Post
  • From Dickens, to Christie, to Simenon, 10 novels featuring the awesome power of the steam engine. | The Guardian
  • A deep dive into the fascinating background of Elgin James, the co-showrunner behind the new outlaw motorcycle epic, Mayans M.C. | Vulture
  • Agatha Christie: Hardboiled Philosopher. On the Queen of Crime‘s birthday, we look at 20 quotes that prove she was actually noir-to-the-bone. | CrimeReads
  • Stephen King: Crime Writer. King might be known as an icon of horror, but going through his career, you see he’s mastered the many facets of crime and mystery fiction, too. | CrimeReads
  • A death at Lake Worth: Jordan Smith on junk science, death by drowning, wrongful imprisonment, and a Texas family torn apart. | The Intercept
  • Jon Michaud on prison libraries, the work of George Pelecanos, and how fiction helps us understand and sometimes transcend our surroundings. | CrimeReads
  • September’s Must-Read Thrillers: The Real Book Spy’s Ryan Steck rounds up all the best heart-pounding page-turning action of the month. | CrimeReads
  • “Is there a genetic predisposition to violence? Can it be nurtured into a full-blown psychopathy?” Kate Moretti looks at the fiction of the nature versus nurture debate. | CrimeReads
  • There’s a new anthology inspired by Lou Reed. Editor David James Keaton talks about assembling the stories and why Reed is such a big influence on the crime community. | The Big Thrill
  • The Great Revenge Novel: Jo Jakeman on 10 mysteries and crime novels featuring satisfying comeuppance, bloody vengeance, and ice-cold revenge. | CrimeReads
  • The real-life crime that inspired Lolita, the spy who loved classical music, and the quest for the earth’s ultimate dinosaur skeleton: 7 true crime books to read this September. | CrimeReads
  • Levi Stahl sets out to make converts of us all with an appreciation for Ellis Peters’s long-running, much-loved Brother Cadfael series. | CrimeReads
  • Nothing builds suspense like a masterful manipulation of time. Stephanie Gayle looks at 7 novels that use countdowns and deadlines to perfect effect. | CrimeReads
  • How the Mexican cartels are infiltrating the energy industry and finding that black market gasoline can be just as lucrative as drugs. | Rolling Stone
  • Charlotte Ahler rounds up a list of great mysteries and crime novels—from Tana French to Denise Mina—none of which begin with a girl’s death. | Bustle
  • “There are three sides to every story: Your side, my side, and the truth.” Hank Phillipi Ryan on turning notorious true crimes into complex crime fiction. | The Big Thrill
  • Tod Goldberg on Ice Cube, the early days of NWA, Elmore Leonard, Sam Spade, and all the unexpected convergence points from a life of crime fiction and gangster rap. | CrimeReads
  • “[T]he voices of girls and women have been erased for too long and history is as much about the people who are driven to uncover these stories as it is about the stories themselves”: Sarah Weinman’s life of crime. | CrimeReads
  • Sarah Zettel examines the role community plays in enabling abuse and looks at how psychological thrillers reveal the complexities of gaslighting. | CrimeReads
  • The Great K-9 Mystery: Margaret Mizushima on the proud and surprisingly eclectic tradition of crime novels featuring working dogs. | CrimeReads
  • “I don’t even own a pogo stick. And I am not a killer.” A wicked new short story by Hilary Davidson. | Crimespree Magazine
  •  Stephen Giles on a lifelong obsession with English country houses, and a look at 7 of the classics set with those very homes. | CrimeReads
  • From Red Dragon to The Girl on the Train,crime writer Elisabeth Norebäck looks 7 thrillers featuring therapists who decidedly do not have their clients’ interests at heart. | CrimeReads
  • Steve Goble on why pirate stories are a natural fit for crime readers, complete with recommendations for your next high-seas swashbuckling mystery. | CrimeReads

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