Crime fiction is cheerfully described as an addiction by many of its fans, including such diverse personalities as Sigmund Freud and Woodrow Wilson. Just as neurochemical addicts have an endless menu of obsessions to gorge on (alcohol, tobacco, narcotics, gambling, chocolate, sex…), crimefic addicts have an ever-growing and ever-mutating variety of subgenres to sample. But…
An excerpt of Hit Me by Lawrence Block, the fifth novel to feature Keller, the philatelic assassin (available February 12, 2013). Keller has gone legit, working in construction and living in New Orleans under a new name with a new family, but the domestic bliss doesn’t last long. One phone call drags him back into…
Sorry, this sweepstakes has ended. Check our Sweepstakes page for current opportunities! CLICK HERE TO ENTER for a chance to win one of five digital downloads of the audiobook edition of The Night and the Music by Lawrence Block, a collection of rare and re-issued short fiction featuring private eye Matthew Scudder, narrated by the author himself…
The locked room mystery has always held a special fascination for suspense fans. Perhaps the most popular—and earliest—of them is Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” in which a mother and daughter are murdered—the mother so brutally ravaged she is almost decapitated and the daughter strangled and stuffed up a chimney—in a…
From the promise of discovering a dusty Van Gogh in the attic, to coming across fabled recordings by Robert Johnson, we love to discover something once thought lost forever. For book lovers the big game is the mythical lost manuscript that may or may not even exist. Now, with the publication of James M. Cain’s…
Psychos: Serial Killers, Depraved Madmen, and the Criminally Insane, edited by John Skipp, is a crime anthology featuring stories by master storytellers including Neil Gaiman, Lawrence Block, and Ray Bradbury (available September 25, 2012). As we read in John Skipp’s cheerful introduction: This just in: SOME PEOPLE KILL PEOPLE! It’s the hideous headline heard daily,…
Spenser, the Boston private detective created by Robert B. Parker, has inspired legions of readers and writers alike. To commemorate his influence, editor Otto Penzler assembled a monster list of crime authors to share their affection for this icon. Their contributions became In Pursuit of Spenser: Mystery Writers on Robert B. Parker and the Creation…
One of coolest things about the Spinetingler Awards is the recognition that there’s not just one great book a year and that comparing relative newcomers to the field to legends is a tough bet. Thus the categories of “New Voice” (those who have published 1-3 books), “Rising Star” (4-8 books) and “Legend” (9+ books). We…
“So,” said the lovely dame sitting next to me, “what really is Noir?” Smiled as she said it. Like she knew she was setting me up. A level of mirth on par with seeing me nude for the first time. I sat there quietly, looking at my glass. Tried to find a good answer. All…
In the heat of summer, you might take your favorite summer reading to the beach – if you lived in California, Hawaii, or the south of France. If you’re in the middle of New York City, though, beaches are hard to come by, even when the mercury climbs into the 90s. The solution? For some…
