Mind-altering substances needn’t always come in the form of a pill, plant, capsule, tab, or tincture. Sometimes they come in the form of a crime novel. We’ve all read great mysteries, thrillers, and noir that created a prodigious shift in our perspective, mindset, or mood—even if only temporarily. Getting high on crime fiction is not…
Unlike most book collectors, I know the exact year, month, and day that I started my collection. I almost know the hour. It was sometime on the morning of December 25, 1977, for it was that Christmas that I tore open the wrapping paper to find a leatherbound, boxed edition of the Lord of the…
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.…
My love of both humor and illicit behavior started at a very young age, ignited by watching my two older brothers try to kill one another over the rights to whatever toy came in the box of Trix breakfast cereal my mother had just bought. Silly rabbit, bloodlust is for kids. As I grew up,…
Authors make a number of conscious decisions when crafting their novels – genre, characters, plot, setting, point of view…and the list goes on. But the one question that gets answered as the series develops is that of aging. Characters are introduced at a certain age when the first novel in a series hits the shelves.…
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…
December is upon us, and with it comes all the joys and wonders (and murder) of the holiday season! While we normally compile a list of all of the upcoming soft-boiled mysteries for the month (see December's titles!), we decided to put together a list of all of the winter/holiday-themed cozies we could find. Know…
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! Check back every Wednesday and see what we're reading for the week!
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! Check back every Wednesday and see what we're reading for the week!
It’s not an exaggeration to call Brad Meltzer a Renaissance man. After all, he’s a #1 New York Times bestselling author—one of the only writers with bestsellers in fiction, non-fiction, advice, children’s books, and comics. He’s also a television host, a history expert, a lawyer, and he even created a successful clothing line. One thing…
