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Like its older sibling, the mystery novel, crime fiction focuses on characters in high stakes situations. Whether they\u2019re planning a heist, impersonating a dead man, or chasing a perp, these stories get our blood pumping as we delight in seeing cops, pretty crooks, cold blooded killers and ordinary people enforce, evade, or operate wholly outside the law.<\/p>\n
Thomas Harris\u2019 Hannibal Lecter <\/em>series revolves around the activities of the titular cannibal psychiatrist and the FBI My favorite recently discovered crime author is Donald E. Westlake<\/a>. In A Travesty <\/em>(half of the recently re-released Double Feature<\/em><\/a>), film critic Calvin Thorpe uses his knowledge of criminal behavior learned from the big screen to help police investigate the death of a friend, further complicated by the fact that he is the killer. It\u2019s sordid, tragic and funny, with plenty of murder sprinkled throughout, and we can\u2019t help but root for the flawed but clever protagonist as he tries to stay out of the gas chamber.<\/p>\n There are many crime fiction subgenres I\u2019m excited to continue exploring, including Raymond Chandler<\/a> and Dashiell Hammett<\/a>\u2019s hardboiled detective stories, Elmore Leonard<\/a>\u2019s heist capers, Ed McBain<\/a> and Ruth Rendell<\/a>\u2019s police procedurals, and the wider world of suspense and mystery by Daphne du Maurier<\/a> and the master of the whodunit, Agatha Christie<\/a>. But while I\u2019m always eager to dive deep into \u201cclassics\u201d and become more fluent in a genre, it\u2019s important to If you like the sound of the pulpy throwbacks I\u2019ve mentioned, you\u2019ll probably like most of the titles being released by Hard Case Crime<\/a>, a publishing imprint \u201cmotivated by a love for the noir genre\u201d and whose titles feature \u201ca tough, atmospheric prose style\u201d[6]<\/sup><\/a>. To diversify your bookshelf and discover new authors, check out anthologies The Perfect Crime: 22 Crime Stories From Diverse Cultures Around the World<\/em><\/a>, Marple: Twelve New Mysteries<\/em><\/a> (new stories about Agatha Christie\u2019s famous detective penned by women authors) and Black Noir: Mystery, Crime, and Suspense Fiction by African-American Writers<\/em><\/a>. You may also like browsing GoodReads Crime lists<\/a> (including #DiverseDetectives<\/a>) and websites like Crime Writers of Color<\/a>. For award winners, check the Edgar Awards <\/a>database, as well as lists of past Agatha<\/a> and Macavity<\/a> winners. And to discover even more about all things mystery and suspense related, check out the excellent LibGuides from Delaware Libraries<\/a> and John Jay College of Criminal Justice<\/a>, as well as website Crime Reads<\/a>, which features book, TV and podcast recommendations and news.<\/p>\n Next up for me are Kaoru Takamura\u2019s Lady Joker, Volume One<\/em><\/a>, Quentin Tarantino\u2019s newly published Cinema Speculation<\/em><\/a> (once I\u2019ve watched all the movies, which are almost entirely crime films), and my ever-growing stack of dusty old paperbacks. Happy heisting!<\/p>\n [1]<\/sup><\/a> My favorite example of this is poet laureate C. Day Lewis\u2019s mystery persona (\u201cNicholas Blake\u201d), responsible for the Nigel Strangeways detective novels including the hilariously over the top title, The Smiler With The Knife.<\/em><\/p>\n [2]<\/sup><\/a> Westlake became frustrated by the fact that the Stark pen name became more famous than his own, as does King\u2019s character in The Dark Half<\/em>(https:\/\/www.projectionboothpodcast.com\/2021\/11\/episode-546-point-blank-1967.html<\/a>).<\/p>\n [3]<\/sup><\/a> Both authors\u00a0 described his use of a pen name as \u201can experiment to see if he could succeed as an author under a new name\u201d https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Donald_E._Westlake#cite_note-biblio-6<\/a><\/p>\n [4]<\/sup><\/a> https:\/\/mysterywriters.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/06\/donaldwestlake.pdf<\/p>\n [5]<\/sup><\/a> These authors dominate lists like the Mystery Writers of America\u2019s list of yearly award winners<\/a>.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2023\/01\/Highsmith-257x300.jpeg\")
I recently completed two classic series in the crime genre. Patricia Highsmith<\/a>\u2019s Ripliad<\/em> is a five book series detailing the misadventures of expatriate con-man Tom Ripley, a cunning and charming psychopath who values his leisurely lifestyle and causing trouble above all else. It’s hard to know exactly what makes Tom tick, but whether he\u2019s lying to the police or hiding the corpse of someone who insulted him, Highsmith mounts the tension, forcing us to root for him to get out of it. The first three<\/a> novels are available in one edition, with The Boy Who Followed Ripley<\/em><\/a>and Ripley Under Water<\/em><\/a> concluding the series. The stories have been adapted<\/a> many times on screen. My personal favorite, The American Friend<\/em><\/a>, stars Dennis Hopper as the scheming Tom Ripley.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2023\/01\/Hannibal_Lecter_novels-206x300.png\")
agents who try to get him to help solve active cases. From Red Dragon<\/em><\/a> to The Silence of the Lambs<\/em><\/a> to Hannibal<\/em><\/a>, Lecter\u2019s game of cat-and-mouse with detectives escalates, as they all seek to outsmart each other and their enemies on both sides of the law. The prequel Hannibal Rising<\/em><\/a> goes back in time to Lector\u2019s youth in war-torn Lithuania, giving us a fuller sense of his psychological development and criminal origins. The series oscillates between gritty police procedural and gruesome horror and is definitely not for the faint of heart. The series has been famously adapted to film and television, with director Michael Mann<\/a>\u2019s Manhunter<\/em><\/a> remaining my favorite.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2023\/01\/Double-Feature-185x300.jpeg\")
Westlake writes with the same precision, coupled with less humor and more grit, under the pseudonym Richard Stark. The use of pennames is particularly common in the crime and mystery genre, as an author may adopt one to establish a brand or obscure their true identity when delving into pulpier territory[1]<\/sup><\/a>. Stephen King famously wrote under the pen name Richard Bachman in the 70s and 80s, and later named a character George Stark[2]<\/sup><\/a>, a conscious nod to Westlake\u2019s experimental pseudonym[3]<\/sup><\/a>. Stark\u2019s The Hunter<\/em><\/a> opens with a hardened criminal named Parker prowling the streets of New York City. We don\u2019t know much about him except he has big, powerful hands, he\u2019s good at what he does, and he wants revenge. The books are nihilistic and antisocial, written in a cold, austere style. This series delights in describing the nuts and bolts of criminal activity: how a scam works, who gets paid off, for how much, and who \u201cgets retired, with flowers\u201d when it goes sour. My favorite sequence in the series is a run of chapters in The Outfit<\/em><\/a> which detail different scams, followed by Parker\u2019s associates ripping each of them off after he gives them the go ahead. The books are lean and mean, \u201ceach one put together like a beautiful little machine of pure chrome.\u201d[4]<\/sup><\/a> Each book picks up where the last left off (after reading six of the 28, I wouldn\u2019t say they need to be read in order), usually setting up Parker against a variety of ne’er-do-wells with some connection to the corporate crime syndicate operating across the country. This is crime writing at its most delightful, where who lives and who dies is a mere footnote to how our (anti)hero will maneuver through the next trap.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2023\/01\/best-agatha-christie-books-ranked-e1655465474414-300x169.jpg\")
recognize that this is far from a contemporary or diverse group. As is often the case with decades-old fiction written by straight, white and predominantly male authors; racist, misogynistic and homophobic language and characters are commonplace, and the canon of 20th century crime fiction[5]<\/sup><\/a> is no exception.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/sites.rutgers.edu\/books-we-read\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/248\/2023\/01\/My-sister.jpeg\")
One of my favorites among more recent titles is Oyinkan Brathwaite\u2019s My Sister, The Serial Killer<\/em><\/a>. This lightning-paced thriller dedicates equal attention to sibling rivalry and crime scene cleanup, and is darkly humorous, bleak, and cuttingly satirical, subverting the femme fatale trope. The book serves as a psychologically complex character study while still managing a sleek, minimalist style befitting the crime genre. Some other recent highlights include novels penned by great filmmakers. Director Michael Mann and Meg Gardiner\u2019s Heat 2<\/em><\/a> (a prequel and sequel to the 1995 film<\/a>) is jam packed with heists gone wrong and high speed chases, but also has a modern facelift, as the safe cracking masterminds adapt to the age of the dark web. Brian DePalma<\/a> teamed up with Susan Lehman to write Are Snakes Necessary?<\/em><\/a>, bringing the director\u2019s lifelong interest in seedy politicians, backroom deals and blackmail to the page. Speaking of filmmakers, I can\u2019t help but mention a few non-fiction books about crime films. For a definitive discussion of the genre, see Carlos Carlen\u2019s comprehensive Crime Movies<\/em><\/a>. For a closer look at the film adaptations of novels, check out Ron Miller\u2019s Mystery Classics on Film<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n