Crime fiction

In July 1992, Guido Brunetti arrived as a new protagonist on the mystery scene in Donna Leon's first novel, Death at La Fenice, which combined her love of opera with her gift for character and her deep appreciation of Venice. Kirkus ReviewsThis offers more than 400 pre-publication reviews of books published in America in 24 print issues a year. It also has an archive of more than 300,000 reviews dating back to 1933 - the most extensive single-source reviews database anywhere. A subscription costs $37.50 a month. www.kirkusreviews.com called it "deftly plotted and smoothly written," and the St.  Read more

The first ever mention of Sherlock Holmes came in A Study in Scarlet, published in Beeton's Christmas Annual of 1887. Dr Watson is looking for lodgings, and meets an old acquaintance who knows of someone he could share with, but does not recommend.  Read more

In 1981 Alex Wheatle served time in prison in London following the Brixton riots. His teenage life was turned around by another prisoner who suggested he should start reading the work of black writers - it was the creative spark for his own career as a novelist.  Read more

A murder takes place in a misty Himalayan hill resort. As the whodunit unfolds, a couple almost unwittingly begin sleuthing to get to the bottom of the crime. And the story is based on a novel by the world's most celebrated crime writer.

That's all Indian filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj is willing to reveal now about his upcoming film, based on a novel by "queen of crime" Agatha Christie.  Read more

I guess there are countless different ways to start writing a crime novel. The author might come up with a certain crime or a relatable protagonist who is ready to solve it. Sure, these two examples are important parts of a writing puzzle, but either one is something I usually start with. Namely I'm a huge fan of the location, or perhaps rather the setting.  Read more