From Space to Ground to Six Feet Under By Dawn Ius There’s not much difference between living through a pandemic and traveling to space, says New York Times bestselling author Patricia Cornwell.…
Features
Keeping Politics Out of Political Thrillers By April Snellings With his 2020 debut Deep State, screenwriter-turned-novelist Chris Hauty seemingly did the impossible: he wrote a political thriller, steeped in Beltway intrigue, that…
On the Knife’s Edge of Legal vs. Illegal By Josie Brown There are tiger moms. And then there’s Rachel Marin, the protagonist in Jason Pinter’s thriller series that bears her name. Pinter…
On the Hunt for Missing Persons By R.G. Belsky Frankie isn’t a police officer. She’s not a private investigator. She’s not out for money or fame. She just travels around the country…
Right Man in the Wrong Place By J.H. Bográn The right man in the wrong place—that’s usually the case with Peter Ash. In Nick Petrie’s new book THE BREAKER, we find his…
A Timely and Thought-Provoking Thriller By Austin S. Camacho James Grippando has been at the top of the legal thriller tree for quite a while—but in his latest, TWENTY, he gives us…
New Mystery Connects With Ancient American History By J.H. Bográn In 2019, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child introduced their fans to a new series led by archaeologist Nora Kelly and FBI Special…
Wildfires Scorch LA Canyons to Reveal…A Novel Plot By Josie Brown In BONE CANYON—Lee Goldberg’s second book in his Eve Ronin series—charred bones found in the aftermath of a devastating Santa Monica…
Peeking Behind Closed Doors By Angela Channell The cover of Anders Roslund’s latest release, KNOCK KNOCK, is dominated by the image of a handle on a locked door. It’s a door that…
Forensic Pathology at Its Finest By K.L. Romo In AFTERSHOCK, bestselling author duo Judy Melinek and T. J. Mitchell return to the San Francisco Medical Examiner’s office with Dr. Jessie Teska, who…
A Twisted Story of Moral Corruption By R.G. Belsky It’s been almost 50 years since the first Spenser book, but Robert B. Parker’s iconic Boston PI is still going strong—thanks to Ace…
A New Mother Discovers the Experience Is Not What She Hoped For —and Everything She Feared By Neil Nyren “One day you’ll understand, Blythe. The women in this family…we’re different.” The woman…
By Ellen Quint Living in COVID times has forced people to reassess all of the everyday life activities that have been taken for granted: casually dropping into the grocery store; going to…
Characters Key to Keeping Long-Standing Series Fresh By E.M. Powell Welcoming in a new year becomes extra special when it also means the arrival of a new Faye Kellerman title in her…
Conyer Returns to Roots for Debut By Joanne Hichens In Natalie Conyer’s novel debut, PRESENT TENSE—the first book in the Schalk Lourens Mystery series—veteran cop Schalk Lourens wants a quiet life. Like…
Revisiting the Long and Dark Shadow of a Killer By Dawn Ius The name John Douglas is familiar to anyone involved in forensic science—and to be fair, true crime junkies across the…
Not Your Typical Housewife By Angela Channell On a typical evening in San Francisco, you might find author Josie Brown at the movies, theater, happy hour, or out on one of her…
Writing A Convincing Police Procedural By Dawn Ius Caz Frear has been obsessed with police procedurals, both on screen and off, for most of her life, but she never set out to…
Writing Into the Blind By R.G. Belsky Matt Coyle pulls off an amazing feat in his new thriller BLIND VIGIL—hard-boiled detective hero Rick Cahill somehow solves a baffling murder case without being…
Obsession and Jealousy Are a Dangerous Duet By K.L. Romo If you’ve ever been cheated on, EVERY LAST SECRET is dedicated to you. How far would you go to steal a life?…
Constant Obsessions By April Snellings The best horror is always timely, but this year’s standout offerings, from Paul Tremblay’s virus epic Survivor Song to Jeremy Robert Johnson’s class-warfare battle cry The Loop,…
Balancing Horror and Comedy By April Snellings Any horror fan worth her salt can recommend a dozen Christmas-themed fright flicks that aren’t Silent Night, Deadly Night—but filling your TBR pile with (good)…
Getting Past “Stage Fright” After Debut Success By E.M. Powell In the acknowledgements of her new release, THE LIES YOU TOLD, Harriet Tyce says that “second novels are difficult.” It’s a sentiment…
Diverse, Surprising, and Superb Writing Mark New Story Collection By Michael Sears Addis Ababa Noir is another African collection from Akashic Books. And once again, it’s surprising, diverse, and contains some superb…