The famously acerbic author, poet, and alcoholic Charles Bukowski once said, “Without literature, life is hell.” Sure, he was likely drunk and didn’t remember saying it, but that doesn’t make the quote any less profound. Great works of fiction entertain and inspire. They educate and heal. Yes, even crime fiction. In fact, especially crime fiction.…
Join Thomas Pluck for a chat with Don Winslow as they discuss his latest book, Broken, and then continue reading for a full review! Don Winslow is the bestselling author of the blockbuster epic Cartel trilogy, the NYPD cop saga The Force, the thriller Savages which was made into a movie directed by Oliver Stone, the…
Earlier this year, Carmen Amato and Jeanine Kitchel introduced us to Narco Noir, a literary gamechanger that continues to grow, and now they return with a follow-up account of the women in Narco Noir and the various roles they play in both real life and fiction. They are cops and robbers. Do-gooders and badass babes.…
Meet narco noir, the new category muscling to the top of the mystery mountain, fueled by drug cartel violence, layers of corruption, and the jagged line between justice and revenge. Narco noir is rising fast and hitting hard with gritty tales ripped from today’s headlines. Real events and real people are recast through the lens…
The Barry Awards, which began in 1997, are presented at the annual Bouchercon World Mystery Convention. Voted on by the readers of Deadly Pleasures, the award is named in honor of Barry Gardner, a well-known fan reviewer and American critic. This year's awards will be held on September 6, 2018, at the St. Petersburg Bouchercon…
Every Wednesday, we here at Criminal Element will put together a list of Staff Picks of the books that published the day before—sharing the ones that we are looking forward to reading the most! A new Don Winslow and the 7th Dewey Andreas thriller by Ben Coes highlight a great week of books! See what…
The Force by Don Winslow is a haunting and heartbreaking story of greed and violence, inequality and race, crime and injustice, retribution and redemption that reveals the seemingly insurmountable tensions between the police and the diverse citizens they serve. His old priests might have told him that there are sins of commission and sins of omission,…
The Mystery Readers International has announced their nominees for the 2016 Macavity Awards—an annual award for excellence in mysteries, named for the “mystery cat” of T.S. Eliot's Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. *Follow the linked titles to excerpts or reviews on CrimeHQ!
The Audies, sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association (APA), recognize “distinction in audiobooks and spoken word entertainment.” They offer awards in many, many different categories, and of course, we wanted to highlight both Mystery and Thriller/Suspense categories specifically for crime fans. However, since we also discuss things like horror, pulp, historical conspiracy, tales of military…
Two of the best directors for crime fans are William Friedkin and Michael Mann. Hollywood in the ’8os wasn’t big enough for the both of them. Between them, they brough us what would be (in my arrogant opinion) the two best crime films of the ’80s: Michael Mann’s Thief, and William Friedkin’s To Live and…
