Review: ‘Written in Fire’ by Marcus Sakey
If you think you have a hard time facing the day in these increasingly perilous times, consider what it's like to be Nick Cooper, the federal agent charged with tracking...
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Crime fiction roundup: ‘Silver Bullets,’ more
Silver Bullets by Élmer Mendoza, MacLehose Press, 222 pages, $24.99 Celebrated Mexican writer Élmer Mendoza doesn't indulge in the niceties of narrative fiction. He shoves together lines of dialogue, without...
Jim Krusoe charmingly mines the space between life, death
Jim Krusoe didn't have a new book out in 2015 — his latest novel, "The Sleep Garden," will be released next month by his regular publisher, Tin House Books. But...
Crime fiction roundup: ‘Blood Salt Water,’ more
Blood Salt Water by Denise Mina, Little, Brown, 298 pages, $26 One of the qualities that sets Denise Mina apart is her ability to find what we used to call...
Crime fiction to give as gifts
Giving a mystery novel as a gift can be tricky. As much as you may love the noirish atmosphere and hard-boiled banter of a particular book, the person you're giving...
Quartet of books marks Frank Sinatra centenary
A hundred years ago this Dec. 12, under the sign of Sagittarius, in the shadow of World War I and in the gritty embrace of Hoboken, N.J., Natalie Catherine Garavente...
From Helen Eustis to J.K. Rowling: a look at women crime writers
Even subtracting one-man industry James Patterson from consideration, men dominate mystery fiction. Though women buy far more mysteries (and far more fiction in general) than men, eight out of 10...
J.K. Rowling shines in new detective novel, ‘Career of Evil’
It didn't take long for the poorly kept "secret" that new mystery writer Robert Galbraith was actually J.K. Rowling to become a non-event. But fans of the Harry Potter books...
Crime fiction roundup: ‘Last Ragged Breath,’ more
Last Ragged Breath by Julia Keller, Minotaur, 384 pages, $25.99 The tragic past dies hard in former Tribune writer Julia Keller's latest effort featuring West Virginia prosecutor Belfa "Bell" Elkins....
Crime fiction roundup: ‘The Nature of the Beast’ by Louise Penny, more
The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny, Minotaur, 376 pages, $27.99 The unretired detective, one of crime fiction's most reliable tropes, is getting the extended treatment in Louise Penny's...