Criminal Element

6 Novels with Scary Twins

Fri, 23 Oct 2020 19:00:21 GMT

Everyone loves twins. When parents of twins set out for their first walk with their new babies bundled up in a double stroller, they quickly learn just how popular twins are. Passers-by comment that they are “doubly blessed” and that twins will be “twice the fun.” Yet in fiction, a more sinister view of twins…

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The Intersection of Noir and Horror

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 17:42:23 GMT

Many of my favorite novels are not easily classified and often fall under that nebulous term “Literary Fiction.” But I value my origins. As a teenager, I learned to love reading through the Horror genre, and I knew just where to go in the stacks to find Stephen King and Anne Rice. When I later…

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Once Upon A Halloween Night: "HACK”

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 16:30:42 GMT

Hosted by Christopher Golden and actor and bestselling author Amber Benson (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Once Upon A Halloween Night featured St. Martin’s Press and Tor Nightfire authors teaming up to write a horror short story in real-time. The end result was “HACK.” A special thank you goes out to all of the participating authors (in…

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Book Review: Fortune Favors the Dead by Stephen Spotswood

Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:30:01 GMT

Fortune Favors the Dead opens with a real corker: “The first time I met Lillian Pentecost, I nearly caved her skull in with a piece of lead pipe.” And, BAM!—we already know we’re in for a thrilling ride. It’s 1940’s New York, and our heroes are an unconventional pair. For starters, they’re not heroes—they’re heroines.…

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Cooking the Books: Knit of the Living Dead by Peggy Ehrhart

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 19:00:22 GMT

Halloween has come to Arborville, and Pamela Paterson’s main concern is whether she’s underdressed, as usual, for the town’s annual bonfire celebrations—especially in comparison with her friends Bettina and Nell, who have gone all out with their costumes. All thought of frivolity is swiftly pushed out of their heads, however, when two teenagers stumble across…

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The Wicked Hour by Alice Blanchard: New Excerpt

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 18:41:58 GMT

Prologue LAST APRIL IN UPSTATE NEW YORK The man grabbed a towel, wiped his face, and caught sight of his re-flection in the bathroom mirror. He felt odd. Not himself. His smile was strong and dazzling, but his eyes were couched and wary. He had holding-back eyes. He went downstairs. The house was old. The…

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Book Review: Goodnight Beautiful by Aimee Molloy

Wed, 21 Oct 2020 13:00:08 GMT

Author Aimee Molloy has already been referred to as ‘a master of clever misdirection’—and that was just from her debut novel, The Perfect Mother, which has already been optioned for a feature film starring Kerry Washington. Molloy has the misdirection tool firmly in use with her second release, Goodnight Beautiful. It’s one of those novels…

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Case Closed Podcast Season 3: A Murder in Amish Country—Listen Now!

Tue, 20 Oct 2020 18:30:23 GMT

Criminal Element is thrilled to share that the Case Closed podcast from Macmillan Podcasts is back with a new season! For the past two seasons, we’ve shared true crime stories that have been solved, so you always walk away feeling satisfied—no frustrating cliffhangers or ambiguous endings. Based off of A Killing in Amish Country by…

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The Silver Shooter by Erin Lindsey: Featured Excerpt

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 19:10:36 GMT

Chapter 1 When you’re a detective, certain things come with the job. Getting shot at, for example, or tossing a man twice your size over your shoulder. From time to time, there might be a little light burglary. If you’re with the special branch of the Pinkerton National Detective Agency, you can add to the…

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Rock Fought the Law and the Songs Won: Pop Music Gets Criminal (but stops short of homicide)

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 21:30:24 GMT

Crime has inspired so much music that multiple volumes could be devoted to the subject. Certainly the blues, country, punk, and hip-hop have all produced songs with crime at the center, but so have Cole Porter (“Miss Otis Regrets”), Berthold Brecht (The Threepenny Opera), folk singers, and big bands. There are whole categories of songs—“murder…

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Book Review: Santa Monica by Cassidy Lucas

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 20:15:34 GMT

With all the twisty verve of Liane Moriarty, crossed with the more acerbic political observations of Tom Perotta, comes the debut novel of Cassidy Lucas, the pen name of writing duo Julia Fierro and Caeli Wolfson Widger. Both real-life residents of their titular town, they bring sharp eyes and large hearts to this tale of…

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Book Review: The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:00:24 GMT

The Night Will Find Us by Matthew Lyons is a haunting thriller set in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey that follows four friends on a camping trip that turns deadly as they all struggle to survive, find help, and avoid the killer who is still loose in the woods. Teens go into the woods.…

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The Dark Heart of Florence by Tasha Alexander: Cover Reveal + Excerpt

Fri, 16 Oct 2020 13:00:53 GMT

Get an early look at the gorgeous cover of The Dark Heart of Florence (Minotaur Books, March 2021), by critically acclaimed author Tasha Alexander. Read on for an excerpt of the latest Lady Emily mystery that transports readers to the legendary city of Florence, where Lady Emily and Colin solve a murder with clues leading…

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Book Review: Tiny Nightmares edited by Lincoln Michel and Nadxieli Nieto

Thu, 15 Oct 2020 19:40:35 GMT

This is an exquisite collection of short stories perfect for spooky season, with 42 gems of flash fiction carefully curated by Lincoln Michel and Nadxieli Nieto to offer readers nearly every variation on horror on the popular market today. Whether you prefer a classic ghost story, a near-future dystopia, or a far-future tale of space…

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Thief of Souls: Cover Reveal + Exclusive Q&A with Cover Designer

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 18:00:40 GMT

Brian Klingborg’s Thief of Souls (Minotaur Books, May 2021) marks the launch of a new mystery series following Inspector Lu Fei. When a brutal murder in a rural village in Northern China sends shockwaves all the way to Beijing, Inspector Lu Fei, exiled to this tiny town, is seemingly the only one interested in finding…

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Book Review: The Nightworkers by Brian Selfon

Tue, 13 Oct 2020 13:06:32 GMT

Anyone who has ever taken a creative writing class, whether it be for long or short fiction, will recognize that one of the golden rules before starting is to write what you know. This allows you to write with a more confident voice and allow your story to remain grounded in reality. This is precisely…

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Book Review: A Resolution at Midnight by Shelley Noble

Fri, 09 Oct 2020 16:00:51 GMT

A Resolution at Midnight by Shelley Noble is the third book in the Lady Dunbridge Mystery series, set in Gilded Age New York City, where the Countess of Dunbridge must navigate a dangerous mystery with the help of her friends and the mysterious Mr. X. Philomena Amesbury, the Countess of Dunbridge, is enjoying her first holiday…

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Book Review: Tampa Bay Noir by Colette Bancroft (Editor)

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 21:18:23 GMT

Akashic Books continues its award-winning series of original noir anthologies, with Tampa Bay Noir edit by Collete Bancroft. Akashic Books, who has produced dozens of Noir novels in this series since 2004, had the misfortune of having their latest one — Tampa Bay Noir —scheduled for release during the pandemic lockdown. Post-lockdown it has begun…

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Without a Brew by Ellie Alexander: Featured Excerpt

Thu, 08 Oct 2020 17:20:14 GMT

Chapter 1 A BITING JANUARY WIND BLEW into the taproom as the front door to Nitro opened and a group of skiers traipsed inside. They were loaded down with gear—expensive puffy parkas in an array of bright colors, ski goggles, boots, and poles. A slightly overweight guy with a pinched face and an entitled…

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Sleuthing out a Solution: Edgar Allan Poe and His Crypto-Mysteries

Wed, 07 Oct 2020 13:00:21 GMT

On this, the 171st anniversary of his death, Edgar Allan Poe is more popular than ever and more misunderstood. Mystery writer S. S. Van Dine describes the detective story as a contest, in which the author seeks to “outwit the reader” by presenting a puzzle that the reader is unable to solve, despite being given…

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