Beyond Rivalry

A few websites that offer excellent comprehensive and/or in-depth information about crime novels.

 

 

LISTS

 

Stop, You're Killing Me! lists more than "2,500 authors, with chronological lists of their books (nearly 29,000 titles), both series (2,900+) and non-series." Also offers indexes by location, jobs and professions, historical time period of series character, and diversity (ethnicity, age, etc.), as well as category read-alike lists and lists of mystery award winners.

 

Clerical Detectives maintained by Philip Grosset: Excellent and expansive website offering information about authors and in-depth summaries of books in more than 50 series featuring clerical detectives -- 'any detective with a significant church or religious background' including priests, ministers, monks, nuns, ex-nuns, rabbis, church administrators, a church organist, and the clerk of a Quaker Meeting. Also has 'A Beginner's Guide to Detective Nuns.'

 

BiblioMystery: Mysteries Involving Libraries and Librarians, maintainted by Candy Schwartz at Simmons College in Boston: Extensive list of library-related mysteries with their publication info and one-line synopsis of plot. These include "mysteries in which books, manuscripts, libraries of any kind, archives, publishing houses, or bookstores occupy a central role, or mysteries in which librarians, archivists, booksellers, etc. are protagonists or antagonists (and preferably the location or occupation is important to the plot or theme). Not academic mysteries or mysteries which happen to be about journalists, authors, or literary figures unless libraries, books, manuscripts, archives, and so on, are important to the plot." Excellent. Look also at their Wishlist of similar books.

 

Thrilling Detective, a website specialising in private eyes and tough guys (and gals). Besides the regular magazine they publish, they also offer a "never-complete listing of private dicks and janes, and selected other tough guys and gals, listed by character, with all appearances in novels, short stories, film, television, radio and other media."

 

Euro Crime offers an extensive bibliography (works listed chronologically, series in order) for European crime writers. "Currently includes authors born in Europe and only lists their crime novels (and not an author's other types of novel)."

 

 

NEWS and REVIEWS 

 

** For current crime novel news and annotated links to current reviews, Sarah Weinman's Confessions of an Idiosyncratic Mind blog is excellent, a must-read. 

 

Cluelass Bloodstained Bookshelf, listing books recently published and forthcoming (up to almost a year in advance). 

 

Euro Crime blog offers "snippets about British and other European crime fiction, tv and film."

 

Reviewing the Evidence offers weekly crime fiction reviews as well as an archive of past reviews.

 

Overbooked offers ongoing listings, synopses, and reviews of crime fiction, mysteries, suspense novels, and thrillers that have received good reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, Publisher's Weekly, and/or Library Journal.

 

January magazine reviews crime fiction and offers interviews.  They also have a blog that covers crime and other genres.

 

Rap Sheet is a blog of crime fiction-related news.

 

 

DISCUSSION LIST

 

Dorothy-L  is an emailed "discussion and idea list for the lovers of the mystery genre." Topics include announcements by authors of forthcoming crime fiction; reviews, criticisms, comments, and appreciations of mysteries in the form of books, plays, and films; mention of great mystery book shops; and info on mystery awards and events.