‘Scribbler Sleuths’ by Andy Griffee‘Police Calls’ were one of my regular duties as a 20-year-old cub reporter on the weekly Poole and Dorset Herald during the early 1980s. It involved an early morning drive to the town’s ma...
‘Sodden boxershorts: Charles Willeford and modern-day publishing’ by John BarlowI’ve just finished reading Charles Willeford’s Hoke Moseley series. The four books, all set in 1980s Miami, are wildly, brilliantly idiosyncratic. As Elmore Leonard said, nobody writes a better crime...
“Not so much Dun-Roamin’ as having discovered a whole new genre to roam.” – by Simon ScarrowI was on a panel of ‘Roman’ writers at a festival in Harrogate some years ago when a member of the audience asked us if we’d ever contemplate writing outside that historical period. I was quite surpri...
When Covid 19 clips your wings, why not plan a crime festival?By Beverley Jones, author of The Beach House. Remember last summer, when we were all staying home, protecting the NHS and clapping for carers? Little did we know how thoroughly Covid 19 would affect u...
‘Karloff, the 60’s, and the First Truly Modern Crime Story’ by Joseph Schneider“Mr. Boogey Man,” “King of Blood” they used to call me. Marx Brothers make you laugh, Garbo makes you weep, Orlock makes you scream. – Boris Karloff as Byron Orlock, Targets It’s 1967, and Peter Bogda...
HOLD THE FRONT PAGE! (While I take a few notes…) – tips on historical research from Karen CharltonAlthough the Internet is still the first port of call for historical crime writers who want to research an era, many of us still glean a wealth of knowledge and inspiration from the old newspapers of...
What Women Want – Graham Brack takes a view on the sometimes differing tastes of female readersBy Graham Brack I am writing this in the United States where I have been amusing myself by, among other things, visiting bookshops. Needless to say, I focus on the crime fiction shelves where two thou...
The ‘other’ Golden Age Knitting Sleuth – Alice K. Boatwright on Miss SilverIn December 1927, the world’s most famous knitting detective made her first appearance in the pages of The Royal Magazine. Dressed in Victorian black brocade and lace mittens, Miss Jane Marple knitted...
Domestic Noir – crime that’s close to home by Alice CastleDomestic noir is not new. Ever since the first performance of Medea in 431 BC, or Mrs Bluebeard’s first peek into that forbidden chamber, women have been confronting horrible truths close to home. The...
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Case Files 50
The CRA Newsletter: May 2021