Any mystery lover knows how significant Agatha Christie is to the crime-fiction genre. But she wasn’t the only woman on the scene—nor the first. Women crime writers have always been influential in the world of mysteries, and here are a few who may be less familiar to even a dedicated reader. If you were investigating the case of…
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, 2017 begins with some great reads! See what books you should start the new year with:
Sleuth fans, we’re back again, and this time with an even longer list of the best women detectives, crime fighters, and amateur mystery solvers pop culture has to offer. When we published a round-up of 13 of the best female sleuths earlier in the month, we were delighted to see what readers had to say…
The Plague of Thieves by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini is the 4th installment of the Carpenter and Quincannon Mystery series where Sabina must find a man who claims to be Sherlock Holmes, and John attempts to catch a killer that is terrorizing the Golden State brewery (Available January 26, 2016). Sabina Carpenter and John…
It's a new year, with new fear, new looks, and new books! Click here to enter for a chance to win! This is NOT a Comments Sweepstakes. You must click the link above to enter. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE DOES NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCE OF WINNING. Sweepstakes open to legal residents of 50 United States,…
The Body Snatchers Affair by Marcia Muller and Bill Pronzini is the third historical mystery in the Carpenter and Quincannon series set in late-19th century San Francisco (available January 6, 2015). Two missing bodies and two separate investigations take Carpenter and Quincannon from the heights above San Francisco Bay to the depths of Chinatown’s opium…
2014 promises to be chock full of wonderful mystery conventions and conferences ranging from Bouchercon— the world’s largest crime fiction convention—to more tightly-focused conferences like Malice Domestic, which specializes in traditional and cozy mysteries. Thrillerfest is, of course, primarily about thrillers, and Left Coast Crime is regional, but also offers the year's only humorous mystery…
There’s one kind of historical crime novel that gets no respect. Historical crime stories have been popular for a long time. They’re even given special awards at some conventions. Lots of people love Ellis Peters’s novels about, Brother Cadfael, a 12th-century monk, while others prefer Lynda S. Robinson’s tales of ancient Egypt or Lindsey Davis’…
I’m a reader because of Nancy Drew. Back in the Dark Ages when young adult fiction consisted of Sweet Valley High and Judy Blume, it was Nancy who got me reading. I liked the puzzle. I liked following the story and trying to unravel the mystery right along with Nancy, even if she did get…
