The Darkest Night by Rick Reed is the 5th book in the Detective Jack Murphy series, which finds the detective investigating a murdered cop, his partner's missing niece, and a shadowy voodoo cult. If a mystery is set in the swamplands of Louisiana, then even during the day the title The Darkest Night applies. Unscrupulous,…
From telekinetic waitresses to grizzled war vets, New Orleans offers refuge for all types of people. With its historic past and modern rebirth, the city is a natural host to an array of crime fiction. In celebration of Fat Tuesday and Mardi Gras, we're asking everyone what New Orleans crime fiction character they are. Take…
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! This week, we get a new Longmire mystery and a new Jesse Stone novel! See what other books to snag for…
This post, about how a scenery-chewing TV series rekindled one New Orleans crime author's love for his own city, is offered for your delight and in commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Mystery Writers of America. When it was announced that American Horror Story was setting its third season in New Orleans, and it was…
The First Wife by Erica Spinder is a standalone thriller about a woman who may have stumbled into a marriage with a man responsible for a number of missing woman (available February 10, 2015). As a child, Bailey Browne dreamed of a knight in shining armor swooping in to rescue her and her mother. As…
Doing the Devil's Work by Bill Loehfelm is the third book starring Maureen Coughlin, an up-and-coming New Orleans police officer trying to rebuild her life (available January 6, 2014). Doing the Devil's Work is the third book in the Maureen Coughlin series by Bill Loehfelm. In The Devil in Her Way, Coughlin was a probationary…
The problem with serial killers and psychopaths in fiction, in general, is that they are banal. If you want to be realistic, the story remains the same: we make our own monsters, and the only mystery is why every tortured child doesn’t become like their abuser. But part of the point of True Detective is…
Last episode, we saw the true detectives' fiery breakup. Maggie dealt Martin a dose of his own unfaithful medicine, we met founder of the Wellspring schools Reverend Billy Lee Tuttle, and modern-day Rust and Martin met after leaving the interviews with Gilbough and Papania. Rust talks Martin into a discussion over beer, and Martin follows…
Last episode, Ruston Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) walked out of the interview with Detectives Gilbough (Michael Potts) and Papania (Tory Kittles). They had confronted him with photos placing him at crime scenes, peering over the yellow police tape. Following the sacrifices to the Yellow King. Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) was back with his family, and the…
“I don't like your face. It makes me want to do things to it.” Cohle's attempt to get to LeDoux through his confidential informant fizzles. The man sees “the corrosion of his soul” and says “there is a shadow” on Cohle, and refuses to make the deal. They track the man's truck back to his…
