B.V. Lawson's Blog, page 8
June 16, 2025
Media Murder for Monday
[image error]It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:
THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES
Matthew McConaughey is in talks to star in Skydance’s feature film based on the iconic private eye, Mike Hammer, from a script by Nic Pizzolatto, who collaborated with the actor in True Detective. Hammer is the protagonist of a series of hardboiled detective novels by Mickey Spillane (later continued by Max Allan Collins), starting with 1947’s I, the Jury, becoming one of the most popular figures of the genre. Collins will executive produce, with Jane Spillane serving as co-producer.
Filipino-American actor KC Montero has joined the cast of the upcoming neo-noir thriller, Shadow Transit. The cast already stars UK-based singer-songwriter, Qymira, and US-based, Indonesian-born actor, Yoshi Sudarso. Shadow Transit is the first English-language film from Pedring Lopez, who previously helmed the Netflix original action film, Maria, which also starred Montero. Shadow Transit follows a grief-stricken photojournalist and a haunted DJ who are forced to navigate the underbelly of Manila and Hong Kong, while evading a powerful crime syndicate.
Succession alum and Tony nominee, Juliana Canfield, has landed the female lead opposite Brandon Sklenar in F.A.S.T., the action thriller from Warner Bros. Character details for Canfield's role have not been disclosed. In the film, marking the feature directorial debut of veteran DP Ben Richardson, a former special forces commando is tapped by the DEA to lead a black op strike team against CIA-protected drug dealers.
TELEVISION/STREAMING
Former Bosch star Titus Welliver is back on the cop beat as a lead opposite J.K. Simmons in The Westies, MGM+'s upcoming period crime drama series from co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner, Chris Brancato. Co-created by Brancato and Michael Panes, The Westies is set in the early 1980s when the construction of the Jacob Javitz Convention Center on the Westies’ home turf in Hell’s Kitchen promises a financial windfall for the Irish-American organized crime gang. Despite being outnumbered 50-to-1 by the Five Families of the Italian mafia, the Westies’ legendary brutality and cunning have given them the leverage necessary to share the spoils through a fragile détente. Welliver will play Glenn Keenan, a troubled NYPD officer who grew up with the Westies crew, torn between loyalty to the law and love for his wayward son.
CBS's Boston Blue has cast another key member. ER alumna Gloria Reuben has been tapped as a series regular on the upcoming Blue Bloods universe series, joining previously cast Donnie Wahlberg, Sonequa Martin-Green, Ernie Hudson, and Maggie Lawson. In Boston Blue, Wahlberg will reprise his Blue Bloods role as NYPD Officer Danny Reagan as he takes a position with Boston PD. Once in Boston, he is paired with Detective Lena Silver (Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family. Reuben will play Mae Silver, Boston’s District Attorney and the matriarch of a blended family of law enforcement professionals. The widow of a judge who was murdered on the courthouse steps, Mae endeavors to put family ahead of work whenever possible.
Rachel Brosnahan (The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel) will lead Apple’s legal drama Presumed Innocent for Season 2. The series hails from multi-Emmy Award winners David E. Kelley and J.J. Abrams, and executive producers Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel Rusch Rich, Erica Lipez, and Matthew Tinker. Led by Gyllenhaal, Season 1 was inspired by Scott Turow’s courtroom thriller of the same name and tells the story of a horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorney's office when one of its own is suspected of the crime. The book was published in 1987 and was turned into a 1990 feature starring Harrison Ford as Rusty Sabich, the same role Gyllenhaal took on. As reimagined by Kelley, Presumed Innocent will explore obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.
Starz has ordered Fightland, a new eight-episode crime drama series from Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson. The series, which is set in the high stakes world of British boxing, follows a disgraced, formerly incarcerated boxing champion who returns to London to seek vengeance against the crime family he thinks betrayed him.
PODCASTS/RADIO/AUDIO
On Read or Dead, Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommended mysteries and thrillers for Pride Month.
Fiona Cummins chatted with Paul Burke on Crime Time FM about Some of Us Are Liars, Saul Anguish, Essex inspiration, sisters, celebrity, and being the best writer you can be.
Authors on the Air welcomed award-winning authors Jeff Ayers and Jon Land, who teamed up to co-author the National Park Thriller series, the latest of which is Cold Burn.
The Mysteryrat's Maze Podcast featured the first chapter of The Language of Bodies by Suzanne DeWitt Hall, read by actor Cady Mejias. In honor of Pride month this one features an LGBTQ+ main character.
On the Pick Your Poison podcast, Dr. Jen Prosser investigated what hitchhikers have to do with toxicology; exposure to what animal has been mistaken for a drug of abuse; and what substance costs $40 million dollars per gallon.
Related StoriesAuthor R&R wth Wendy GeeMedia Murder for Monday
June 14, 2025
June 13, 2025
Friday's "Forgotten" Books: The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective
[image error]British author Catherine Louisa Pirkis (1841-1910) wrote many short stories and some 14 novels between 1877 and 1894, before she essentially gave up writing in favor of marriage and animal charity work (she and her husband helped found the National Canine Defence League). She is best known for her stories featuring female detective Loveday Brooke, with the first such tale published in Ludgate Monthly magazine in 1893. The Loveday Brooke stories were compiled into the volume The Experiences of Loveday Brooke, Lady Detective in 1894, which was to be the author's last published book.
[image error]Loveday Brooke was one of the more popular female detectives among the explosion of mystery stories that followed the success of Sherlock Holmes, and the character is said to be the first female detective penned by a female author. Unlike other female detectives of the day (mostly those created by men), Loveday is a professional business woman, around thirty years of age, who is "not tall, she was not short, she was not dark, she was not fair; she was neither handsome nor ugly. Her features were altogether nondescript." Her main weapon is her intellect and capacity for using logic and observation a la Holmes, which helps her solve cases that have stumped the male police forces. She works for Ebenezer Dyer, head of a detective agency in Lynch Court, off London's Fleet Street, but he isn't involved in her cases and simply dispatches her to do her own thing.
Loveday's cases are mostly robberies and burglaries, which might sound on the surface like the author was avoiding more violent crimes that would be too much for a woman's "delicate constitution." However, Pirkus imbued her detective with a feminist (for the day) viewpoint, with the female characters often struggling to escape patriarchal tyranny. There is a religious underpinning to the stories, although it is minimized in favor of the puzzles, which, as Mike Grost of MysteryFile notes, often have three stages: stage one, the establishment of the mystery; stage three, the resolution; and the middle stage, an often elaborate and complex scheme whereby Loveday meddles in the lives of the culprits to trick them into their ultimate capture.
Loveday is notable for her role in blazing a trail for the modern female fictional detective, but Pirkis's writing isn't as pathbreaking. There is a dependence on dialogue, a wealth of coincidences, a lack of clues, and many instances of the lack of "fair play." Some Loveday stories were later dramatized as BBC radio plays, including "The Redhill Sisterhood," where Loveday Brooke takes on the role of an undercover agent as she investigates nuns who appear to have forsaken their vows and taken to burglary.
June 12, 2025
Mystery Melange
The 2025 Bloody Scotland Debut Prize shortlist was announced this week. Making the list are Natalie Jayne Clark, The Malt Whisky Murders; David Goodman, A Reluctant Spy (Headline); Foday Mannah, The Search for Othella Savage (Quercus); Richard Strachan, The Unrecovered (Raven/Bloomsbury); and Claire Wilson, Five by Five (Michael Joseph). On the opening day of the festival, Friday, September 12, the shortlisted debut authors will appear on panel interviewed by festival co-founder Alex Gray, followed by the presentation of the prize that afternoon and a procession, led by Ian Rankin, to the first evening event of the festival at The Albert Halls.
Foreword Reviews revealed the winners of the 2024 INDIES Book of the Year Awards, which celebrate the outstanding books published in 2024 by small, independent, and university presses. The Gold winner in the Mystery category was A Cold Cold World by Elena Taylor (Severn House); Silver went to The Last Hanging of Angel Martinez by Kate Niles (University of New Mexico Press); Bronze to Gathering Mist by Margaret Mizushima (Crooked Lane); and Honorable Mention to Death Holds the Key by Alexander Thorpe (Fremantle Press). The Gold winner in Thrillers was The Vixen Amber Halloway by Carol LaHines (Regal House Publishing); the Silver winner was The Death of Clara Willenheim by Charlotte M. Lesemann (The Gothic Literary Society); Bronze went to Releasing the Reins by Catherine Matthews (Pacific Peaks Publishing); and Honorable Mention was Bone Pendant Girls by Terry S. Friedman (CamCat Books).
The Maine Publishers and Writers Alliance announced the winners for the 2025 Maine Literary Awards, including Best Crime Fiction, won by Maureen Milliken for Dying for News. The other finalists include: Paul Doiron, Pitch Dark; Kathryn Lasky, Mortal Radiance; and Thomas Ricks, Everyone Knows But You.
I missed these awards back in March, but at the annual Krimimessen (Crime Fair) in Denmark, four crime honors were revealed, including the Palle Rosenkrantz prize (best foreign crime/thriller novel), won by Christoffer Carlsson for his Levende og døde. Also announced were the Harald Mogensen award (best Danish crime/thriller novel), won by Søren Sveistrup's Tælle til en tælle til to; the Debut Prize, which Mikkel Blaabjerg snagged for Den 6. magt; and the The Lasse Holm diploma (historical crime novel of the year), which went to Pernille Schou for Mord i delegationen.
The Colorado Humanities' 2025 Colorado Book Awards unveiled the finalists in various categories, including Best Mystery and Best Thriller. The shortlisted mystery titles include Death Valley Duel by Scott Graham (Torrey House Press); A Dream in the Dark by Robert Justice (Crooked Lane Books); and Play of Shadows by Barbara Nickless (Thomas & Mercer). The thriller nods include Anyone But Her by Cynthia Swanson (Columbine York); The Father She Went to Find by Carter Wilson (Sourcebooks); and If You Lie by Caleb Stephens (Thrillserscape Press). All winners will be announced at the Finalists Celebration and Winners Announcement in July 2025.
Frederick Forsyth, called by the New York Times as the "'Master of the Geopolitical Thriller," has died at the age of 86 after a short illness. He wrote best-sellers including The Day of the Jackal, The Dogs of War, and The Odessa File, often using material from his earlier life as a reporter for Reuters and the BBC and as a spy for British intelligence. Six films were adapted from his novels, as well as various television productions. In 2012, the Crime Writers' Association announced that Forsyth had won its Cartier Diamond Dagger award in recognition of his body of work. In November of this year, Penguin Random House will publish a sequel to The Odessa File, called Revenge of Odessa, which Mr. Forsyth wrote with Tony Kent. Lee Child, the author of the Jack Reacher novels, penned a remembrance of Forsyth for The Guardian.
James Reasoner had some additional sad news on his Rough Edges blog, alerting us to the passing of Wayne Dundee, author of the P.I. Joe Hannibal novels and editor and publisher of the small press magazine, Hardboiled. He was also a Shamus Award finalist for Best First PI Novel in 1989 (and a finalist in other categories five times), as well as being a finalist for the Edgar and Anthony awards. Reasoner also wrote in the horror, fantasy, and erotica genres, and several "house name" books under bylines other than his own. Dundee, who was 78, had suffered from ill health for some time.
Even as fans of the James Bond film franchise impatiently await the next installment, along with the naming of the new titular actor, the literary Bond universe is expanding. MW Craven has just been signed to write a new series of Bond books aimed at 8 to 12-year-olds. The first, James Bond and the Secret Agent Academy, will be published next June. It will feature a retired Bond, his licence to kill revoked, training a new generation of teenage spies. Adult readers are also getting new Bond-adjacent books, with Raymond Benson penning The Hook and the Eye, the first to make Bond’s CIA buddy, Felix Leiter, the hero. The book will be out in October, but the first of ten installments has already been published as an ebook. Quantum of Menace by Vaseem Khan will also be published in the autumn—the first novel centered on Bond’s gadget-wielding armorer, Major Boothroyd, aka Q.
A tool to identify poisonous books has been developed by the University of St Andrews. Historically, publishers used arsenic mixed with copper to achieve a vivid emerald green color for book covers. While the risk to the public is "low," handling arsenic-containing books regularly can lead to health issues including irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, along with more serious side-effects. The toxic pigment in the book bindings can even flake off, meaning small pieces can easily be inhaled. In recent years, many libraries have prevented access to suspect books as a precaution, as testing has until now been costly and time-consuming.
This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 is "All the Accused" by Matthew Sorrento.
In the Q&A roundup, Lucas Schaefer, author of the new novel, The Slip, spoke with Crime Reads about Texas, boxing, and how to use crime fiction to explore identity; S.A. Cosby chatted with the New York Times about his latest crime novel, King of Ashes, and the appeal of small-town crime stories; Mark Stevens applied the Page 69 Test to his new novel, No Lie Lasts Forever, about a reformed serial killer and the disgraced journalist he coaxes into finding the imposter trading on his name; Crime Fiction Lover chatted with award-winning crime fiction author, Linwood Barclay, about his new horror-thriller, Whistle; and Deborah Kalb spoke with Kendra Elliot, author of the new novel, Her First Mistake, and the Columbia River series.
Related StoriesMystery Melange
June 11, 2025
The Shamus Salutes
The finalists for THE PRIVATE EYE WRITERS OF AMERICA 2025 SHAMUS AWARDS, for private eye novels and short stories first published in the United States in 2024, have been announced. The winners will be announced at the 2025 Bouchercon's Opening Ceremonies to be held Thursday, September 4th, at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. Congrats to all the finalists!
BEST PI HARDCOVER
Kingpin by Mike Lawson (Atlantic Monthly Press)
The Hollow Tree by Phillip Miller (Soho Crime)
Farewell, Amethystine by Walter Mosley (Mulholland Books)
Trouble in Queenstown by Delia Pitts (Minotaur Books
Death and Glory by Will Thomas (Minotaur Books)
BEST ORIGINAL PI PAPERBACK
Geisha Confidential by Mark Coggins (Down & Out Books)
Quarry’s Return by Max Allan Collins (Hard Case Crime)
Not Born of Woman by Teel James Glenn (Crossroad Press)
Bless Our Sleep by Neil S. Plakcy (Samwise Books)
Call of the Void by J.T. Siemens (NeWest Press)
The Big Lie by Gabriel Valjan (Level Best Books)
BEST FIRST PI NOVEL
Twice the Trouble by Ash Clifton (Crooked Lane Books)
The Devil’s Daughter by Gordon Greisman (Blackstone Publishing)
Fog City by Claire M. Johnson (Level Best Books)
The Road to Heaven by Alexis Stefanovich-Thomson (Dundurn Press)
Holy City by Henry Wise (Atlantic Monthly Press)
BEST PI SHORT STORY
“Deadhead” by Tom Andes (Issue 10.1: A Case of KINK - Cowboy Jamboree Magazine)
“Alibi in Ice” by Libby Cudmore (July/August 2024, Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazine)
“Drop Dead Gorgeous” by M.E. Proctor (Janie’s Got a Gun: Crime Fiction Inspired by the Music of Aerosmith – White City Press)
“Under Hard Rock” by Ed Teja (Black Cat Weekly #164)
“The Five Cent Detective” by S.B. Watson (Crimeucopia: Great Googly-Moo!)
Related Stories2025 Canadian Awards of Excellence Winners2025 CWA Daggers ShortlistsAnthony Accolades
June 10, 2025
Author R&R wth Wendy Gee
[image error]After a successful career in the U.S. Navy, Wendy Gee now channels her boundless energy into community volunteering, leaving no stone unturned—or unpainted—at the Charleston Fire Department, Friends of the Lewes Public Library Board of Directors, and Sussex County Habitat for Humanity. A proud graduate of the University of Michigan, University of Arizona, Naval War College, and Old Dominion University, Wendy combines her academic prowess and life experiences into her writing. Residing in Lewes, DE, she is an avid golfer, a diehard Detroit Tigers and Lions fan (even when they’re not winning, but so excited when they are), and a pickleball enthusiast who’s always ready to serve up some fun. Her work has been shortlisted with Killer Nashville and the Writer’s League of Texas. And as a lifetime member of Sisters in Crime, Wendy’s passion for the mystery genre is no secret—though she might leave a few clues lying around just for fun.
[image error]In Gee’s novel, Fleet Landing, ATF Special Agent Cooper “Coop” Bellamy's rigid adherence to rules has left his relationship with his 11-year-old daughter in ashes. When Charleston's fire chief calls him to investigate a series of mysterious nuisance fires ravaging the city, Coop sees a chance to redeem himself as a father and catch a dangerous arsonist. But as the fires turn deadly, he finds himself torn between family and duty.
Enter tenacious TV reporter Sydney Quinn, whose pursuit of justice for a man wrongly convicted of arson puts her on a collision course with a sinister figure known only as the Falcon. As Sydney uncovers a decades-old conspiracy, she receives chilling warnings to back off.
Forced to work together, Coop and Sydney must navigate a labyrinth of lies and corruption. Their investigation ignites a powder keg of danger, testing Coop's ironclad principles and Sydney's journalistic integrity. But when danger strikes too close to home, the stakes become personal. With time running out and lives on the line, Coop and Sydney must fight to extinguish the threat before everything they love goes up in smoke.
Wendy Gee stops by In Reference to Murder to take some Author R&R about researching and writing her debut novel:
Confessions of a New Mystery Writer
Mystery novels have captivated readers for centuries. From Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, to Stephanie Plum, these stories offer more than just entertainment; they challenge our minds and keep us guessing until the very end. As a new writer in this genre, I seized the opportunity to create a world filled with intrigue and characters that I hope will linger long after the last page is turned.
My journey started as an avid reader rather than an aspiring author who dreamed of crafting the great American novel. That role was true until the day an Indie bookseller turned me on to the local writer’s guild. I initially felt like an interloper among the published elite, but there I learned a most valuable lesson: The writing community is charitable and encouraging.
As a freshly minted writer, I find myself both exhilarated and slightly terrified. It’s been like stepping into an Agatha Christie novel without knowing whether I’m Poirot, Marple, or just another red herring. And the thrill of crafting clues that lead readers on an adventurous chase is unparalleled. I find I have notebooks filled with scribbles about secret codes, hidden passages, and suspicious alibis which I hope will lead to unexpected twists.
My debut novel, FLEET LANDING, is actually the second story I developed. The original manuscript was so convoluted it just didn’t work. When I tossed that one into the dumpster, it proved to many of my friends and critique partners that my instincts were solid and I could move forward. Even so, this mediocre effort afforded insight into creating technical bones: character development, scene structure, narrative description, internal monologue, dialog, and so forth. And I discovered what I thought were my strengths at the onset proved to be my greatest weaknesses. I was amused that what I considered shortcomings actually came quite naturally to me.
I readily admit my writing style is not organic per se, or what the community labels a pantser. I’m not a rigid plotter either. I’d categorize myself as a tweener who road maps the big story points like a plotter (so I know where to maneuver each scene), yet I leave sufficient latitude for making adjustments (like those fearless and creative pantsers).
The inspiration for FLEET LANDING was the easiest component. My big idea came from melding two divergent storylines that were loosely ripped from the news. For research, I accepted an invitation to be a volunteer in the Fire Marshal Division. I was assigned clerical duties to assist the team, but that gave me invaluable access to real firefighters and fire investigators who had many stories to tell. I did plenty of research to ensure accuracy and realism. I am truly indebted to them for welcoming me into the fold. I hope I did them proud, and will continue to do so in future manuscripts.
The hardest part was the countless rewrites. Yet, that’s also where the fun captivated me as a new writer. I wanted to incorporate what I’d learned in craft classes and workshops, while actually putting words on the page. Lots of words, lots of pages. Lots of deleting extraneous words.
I’ve since learned writers have a love/hate relationship with rewrites and editing. I’m driving my stake firmly in the LOVE it camp. Perhaps because I’m still developing my skills and instincts, the second draft (and third, fourth, and fifth) is another chance to hone the story.
In FLEET LANDING, I also wanted to try my hand at a little social commentary. I believe the world is a marvelous place, even as we navigate the turbulence of injustice, inequality, and whatever personal baggage we carry on the trip. The challenge in my story was to tell things honestly, without melodrama or cliché.
Through this endeavor, diving deeper into mystery writing has taught me much about patience, perseverance, and creativity. Each element must be crafted to ensure a seamless flow, with enough tension and suspense. Every clue needs a purpose. Every character requires motivation. Readers deserve nothing less than an immersive experience where they can lose themselves unraveling the complex enigma presented to them. I hope I have successfully bridged the delicate balance between revealing and concealing information and it keeps the pages turning. I truly hope you enjoy FLEET LANDING.
You can learn more about Wendy Gee via her website and follow her on Goodreads. Fleet Landing is now available via all major booksellers.
Related StoriesMedia Murder for Monday
June 9, 2025
Media Murder for Monday
It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:
THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES
Emmy and Golden Globe nominee Andrew Scott has come aboard Chloe Domont’s legal thriller, A Place in Hell, alongside Michelle Williams and Daisy Edgar Jones. Written and directed by Domont, the film follows two women at a high profile criminal law firm. Scott will next be seen in Wake Up Dead Man, the third installment of Netflix’s Knives Out films, and starred in the title role in the streamer’s acclaimed series, Ripley.
Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to the crime thriller Just Breathe, starring Kyle Gallner (Strange Darling), from Motion Picture Exchange and Rockwood Champ. Marking the feature debut of writer-director Paul P. Pompa III, Just Breathe follows Nick Bianco (Gallner), who plans to rebuild his life and win back the love of his life after a year spent in prison for assault. Upon his release, Nick learns that the target of his affections has another admirer, Chester (Shawn Ashmore), his no-nonsense parole officer. Nick soon finds himself caught in a tense rivalry that threatens not only his second chance at love but also his chance to stay out of prison.
Saban Films has acquired U.S. rights to In Cold Light, a crime thriller starring Maika Monroe (Longlegs), as well as Academy Award winners Troy Kotsur (CODA) and Helen Hunt (As Good As It Gets), which had its world premiere in the Spotlight section of the Tribeca Festival on June 7. Marking the first English-language feature from Canadian filmmaker Maxime Giroux (The Great Darkened Days), the film will be released in theaters nationwide later this year. In Cold Light is set in a fractured city where loyalty is currency and violence speaks loudest, following Ava (Monroe), who’s newly released from prison and ready to reclaim her territory—until she witnesses a brutal crime that forces her to run. Hunted by enemies and haunted by her past, Ava is pulled into a desperate fight for survival.
Amazon MGM Studios is developing Ally Clark, a new thriller starring Oscar winner Viola Davis. Ally Clark takes us from the marble halls of Washington, D.C. to the sweltering bayous of Louisiana and the icy peaks of Alaska, following investigator Ally Clark (Davis) as she embarks on a perilous inquiry into an international conglomerate following the suspicious death of a close friend. Phillip Noyce (Clear and Present Danger; Salt) will direct from a script by Jose Ruisanchez and Irwin Winkler.
TELEVISION/STREAMING
Sophia Stallone has launched development on Mindf*ck for Amazon MGM Studios, a series adaptation of the popular psychological thriller book series by the late S.T. Abby. A five-book series, Mindf*ck began as a self-published effort for Abby before growing into a phenomenon, landing a slot on numerous "most addictive reads" lists. At the heart of the story is Lana Myers, a seductive, calculating serial killer with a morally-charged mission: avenging her traumatic past by systematically eliminating the men who assaulted her, destroyed her family, and walked away free. Lana’s carefully constructed world begins to unravel when she falls for Logan Bennett, an FBI profiler investigating the very murders she’s committing. Their connection is immediate, intense, and impossibly dangerous—a love story shaped by vengeance, secrets, and emotional reckoning.
Dougray Scott (Crime and Vigil) is leading the BBC’s adaptation of J.J. Arcanjo’s Crookhaven: The School for Thieves. Scott will play Caspian Lockett, the headmaster and leader of the secretive Crookhaven, a school for crooks where students learn how to hone their skills in order to do good. Based on the hit book series, the students, or Crooklings, are trained to perfect their unusual skills to bring balance, justice and order to the outside world. Scott is joined by Claire Forlani (Industry), who plays his wife Carmen, along with Keith Allen (Shallow Grave) and Naomi Wirthner (Slow Horses).
Psych alumna Maggie Lawson is returning to the TV police ranks as a series regular on CBS's upcoming Blue Bloods universe series, Boston Blue. She joins previously cast Donnie Wahlberg, Sonequa Martin-Green, and Ernie Hudson. In Boston Blue, Wahlberg will reprise his Blue Bloods role as NYPD Officer Danny Reagan as he takes a position with Boston PD. Once in Boston, he is paired with Detective Lena Silver (Martin-Green), the eldest daughter of a prominent law enforcement family. Lawson will play Sarah Silver, the strong-willed and decisive Superintendent in the Boston Police Department who is Lena’s stepsister.
Cobie Smulders (How I Met Your Mother) is set to appear in the Netflix and A+E Studios hit series, The Lincoln Lawyer, in the Season 4 finale. She'll play Allison, an important character connected to Mickey Haller (Manuel Garcia-Rulfo), whose storyline could continue into Season 5. The storyline was teed up at the end of the Season 3 finale when Haller was pulled over and arrested after the body of a client was found in the trunk of his Lincoln. Next season will see Mickey defending himself as he goes on trial for murder. He will face off with the prosecutor on the case, Dana Berg (Constance Zimmer), who has ties to his first ex-wife, Maggie (Neve Campbell). The season is based on The Law of Innocence, the sixth book in Michael Connelly’s The Lincoln Lawyer series.
USA Network has set August 15 for the premiere of The Rainmaker, USA’s upcoming legal drama series based on the John Grisham novel. The network also released the first trailer and some first-look photos. The series follows Rudy Baylor (played by Milo Callaghan) who, fresh out of law school, goes head-to-head with courtroom lion Leo Drummond (John Slattery) and his law school girlfriend, Sarah Plankmore (Madison Iseman). Rudy, along with his boss (Lana Parrilla) and her disheveled paralegal, uncover two connected conspiracies surrounding the mysterious death of their client’s son.
Fox has determined the fate of two bubble shows, canceling crime dramas Alert: Missing Persons Unit after three seasons and The Cleaning Lady after four. The network had delayed final decisions on its remaining bubble series until after their current seasons had aired. Alert wrapped its Season 3 run on May 27, and The Cleaning Lady's fourth season ended on June 3.
PODCASTS/RADIO/AUDIO
Crime Time FM focused on writing for adults and children with Janice Hallett (The Examiner; The Appeal) and Maz Evans (That'll Teach Her).
On the latest episode of Murder Junction, Vaseem Khan and Abir Mukherjee spoke to crime writer Mark Billingham about his nineteenth Tom Thorne novel, What the Night Brings, and also about his "wobbly dog."
Debbi Mack's guest on the latest Crime Cafe podcast was crime writer J.D. Barker, whose work has been broadly described as suspense thrillers, often incorporating elements of horror, crime mystery, science fiction, and the supernatural.
On Read or Dead, Katie McLain Horner and Kendra Winchester recommended summer mystery reads.
Related StoriesMedia Murder for Monday
June 7, 2025
June 6, 2025
Friday's "Forgotten" Books - An Amiable Charlatan
[image error]British author Edward Phillips Oppenheim (1866-1946) worked in his father's leather business before serving in the Ministry of Information following World War I. He eventually turned his hand to writing crime novels after his father helped him get his first book published. It was a good investment on his father's part, because Oppenheim was apparently successful enough to buy a French villa and a yacht and appeared on the cover of Time magazine in September 1927, referring to himself as the "prince of storytellers." That may appear to be a bit of boasting, but he published some 150 novels in all, with 45 movies made from his books between 1914 and 1942.
[image error]Many of Oppenheim's works were early precursors of the spy genre, with An Amiable Charlatan (1916) filled with its own smattering of intrigue. The story revolves around the protagonist, Paul Walmsley, a sophisticated British gentleman (a frequent type of Oppenheim character), with most of the action taking place inside Stephano's Restaurant in London. The "amiable charlatan" of the title is American "adventurer" Joseph H. Parker who interrupts Walmsley's dinner by sitting down with him uninvited and eating his food. When a detective bursts into the room and searches Parker for suspected stolen goods, he finds nothing—unbeknownst to Walmsley, Parker has temporarily stowed the goods on him and then palmed them off to an accomplice maître d'hôtel.
Thus begins an unusual friendship, as Parker sticks to Walmsley like glue, interrupting more of his life than just dinner and pickpocketing one item after another, even getting Walmsley involved with ex-cons, theft after theft, and a counterfeit ring. Even worse, Parker has a partner-in-crime, his lovely daughter, who Walmsley happens to fall for. But as the book proceeds, it becomes apparent that the charming and master-manipulator Parker isn't exactly what he appeared to be at first. It's a fun caper, with some adventure and romance mixed in. Parker is a winsome character and a little reminiscent of Donald Westlake's comic thief, John Dortmunder—except he has a success rate with his con jobs that would make Dortmunder proud.
June 5, 2025
Mystery Melange
Harrogate International Festivals announced the shortlists for the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year 2025, as well as the McDermid Debut Award for new writers. Fans will have a chance to vote for their favorites through July 10th, and winners of both awards will be unveiled on the opening night of the Theakston Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival on Thursday July 17.
The finalists for Crime Novel of the Year include:
The Cracked Mirror by Chris Brookmyre (Little, Brown Book Group, Abacus)
The Mercy Chair by M.W. Craven (Little, Brown Book Group, Constable)
The Last Word by Elly Griffiths (Quercus Books, Quercus Fiction)
Hunted by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage; Harvill Secker)
Deadly Animals by Marie Tierney (Bonnier Books, Zaffre)
All the Colours. of the Dark by Chris Whitaker (Orion, Orion Fiction)
The finalists for the McDermid Debut Award include:
Sick to Death by Chris Bridges (Avon, Harper Collins)
I Died at Fallow Hall by Bonnie Burke-Patel (No Exit Press, Bedford Square)
Her Two Lives by Nilesha Chauvet (Faber & Faber)
A Reluctant Spy by David Goodman (Headline)
Isolation Island by Louise Minchin (Headline, Headline Fiction)
Black Water Rising by Sean Watkin (Canelo)
Sisters in Crime Australia released the longlists for their Davitt Awards, which honor the best crime and mystery books by Australian women. A total of 150 books were entered, and the judges selected 29 for the longlisted titles in the categories of Adult Fiction, Nonfiction, Young Adult Fiction, and Children's Fiction. The shortlist for the awards will be announced in mid-July, with winners revealed at an awards ceremony later this year (TBD).
On Wednesday, June 25, 2025, from 7:00pm to 8:00pm, One More Page bookstore in Arlington, Virginia, will celebrate Pride Month with "Gay, Solve Crime: A Queer Mystery Panel," featuring Cheryl A. Head (Bury Me When I'm Dead: A Charlie Mack Motown Mystery); Katharine Schellman (Last Dance Before Dawn: Nightingale Mystery #4); Stephen Spotswood (Dead In The Frame: A Pentecost And Parker Mystery); and Alex Travis (The Payback Girls).
A conference on British Noir (literature, film, TV series) will be held at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris, France, from November 6th to November 8th, 2025. Organizers have released a call for papers, and those interested should submit proposals of up to 250 words, together with a bio of approximately 100 words, by May 31, 2025. Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by June 16, 2025.
An Agatha Christie exhibition is currently on display at the at the UK's Hastings Museum and Art Gallery in East Sussex. Titled, "Agatha Christie – The Queen of Crime," the exhibit includes displays such as Poirot's dinner setting on the Orient Express, Christie's 1926 disappearance, Egyptian artefacts linking to Death on the Nile, and original items, books, and objects. It runs through August 10 and includes a "Crime Writers Day" on August 9 with area authors.
Art Taylor hosted Derringer Award-winner, C.W. Blackwell, on the "First Two Pages," to talk about his new story, "Making Up for Lost Time," for the anthology Midnight Schemers & Daydream Believers. Taylor has been hosting the "Two Pages" feature—with craft essays by short story writers and novelists analyzing the openings of their own work—following the death of its creator, B.K. Stevens.
This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 is "The Great Divide" by Victor Henry.
In the Q&A roundup, James Lee Burke and David Masciotra continued their years-long conversation on literature and American history for Crime Reads, discussing Burke's latest novel, Forget Me, Little Bessie, and the highs and lows of American history; Crime Fiction Lover welcomed A Molotkov, a Russian emigré to the U.S. and author of the novel, A Bag Full of Stones; Crime Fiction Lover also interviewed Icelandic author, Jón Atli Jónasson, who wrote the screenplay for The Deep and has turned his hand to crime fiction, penning Broken, a hardboiled thriller set in Reykjavik.
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