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Articles and lists relating to crime fiction, mystery, forensics, storytelling and more.
I am currently doing research for my next novel, the first installment in a private detective mystery series set in a near-future America where many laws allow citizens to file lawsuits against those who violate these statutes. In these research reports, I summarize what I’m reading and how that book helped me think about my project. First up: Humankind: A … Read more
It has been just over three years since I published my definitive list of The 112 Best Literary Mysteries and Crime Novels. Obviously, more great literary crime titles are published every year, and 2022 was no exception. So here is the best literary crime fiction of the year based on curated lists from The New York Times, The Guardian, Publishers … Read more
The mystery in HBO’s 2021 hit limited series Mare of Easttown hinges on the details of the gun used to murder a teenage girl. Drawing on my experience as a forensic firearms examiner and fiction author, I explain what the creators got wrong about the Mare of Easttown gun and assess how they blended fact and fiction in the show’s … Read more
Just over two years ago, I published a definitive list of The 112 Best Literary Mysteries and Crime Novels that covers all literary mysteries published before 2019. Since more great titles in this genre are published every year, I release annual supplemental to my original list. So here are the best literary mysteries of 2021 based on curated lists from … Read more
In 2019, I published a roundup list of The 112 Best Literary Mysteries and Crime Novels that covers all literary mysteries and crime novels published before 2019. In order to keep my list up-to-date, I will release annual rankings of the best literary crime fiction each year. So here is the best literary crime fiction of 2020* based on curated … Read more
Last year, I published my list of The 112 Best Literary Mysteries and Crime Novels, based on curated lists from The Guardian, Book Riot and more, suggestions from readers on Goodreads and Library Thing, and picks from literary mystery authors like Mark Haddon, Jenny Milchman, Laurie R. King and Derek B. Miller. As with previous lists, the literary mystery edition has … Read more
Toward the end of last year, I published a roundup list of The 112 Best Literary Mysteries and Crime Novels. While researching that list, I limited my search to books published before 2019. In order to keep my list up-to-date, I plan to release annual rankings of the best literary mysteries and crime novels published each year. So here are … Read more
Based on curated lists from The Guardian, Book Riot and more, suggestions from readers on Goodreads and Library Thing, and picks from literary mystery authors like Mark Haddon, Jenny Milchman, Laurie R. King and Derek B. Miller, here is a roundup of the 112 best literary mysteries and crime novels ever written. To compile the final rankings, I assigned a weighted score to … Read more