Crime Time

1 week ago | crimetime.co.uk | Barry Forshaw

Anyone lucky enough to have been present last night in Mayfair when the matchless Karin Slaughter was interviewed by Lee Child and Stig Abell about her new book, We Are All Guilty Here, will not forget it in a hurry. The merciless Slaughter/Child badinage — with nothing spared – demonstrated their long friendship.

1 week ago | crimetime.co.uk | Barry Forshaw

The Woman Who Laughed by Simon Mason (riverrun)If you’re thinking that the dreaming spires of Oxford have been overused as a locale for crime fiction, think again. Simon Mason’s narrative focusing on the murder of a sex worker translates the ethos of Georges Simenon’s Maigret into an English setting: concise, richly characterised with plotting of tensile steel. King of Ashes by S. A.

1 month ago | crimetime.co.uk | Barry Forshaw

2025 CWA Dagger Awards Shortlist AnnouncedThe 2025 shortlist for the prestigious Crime Writers’ Association (CWA) Dagger awards, which honour the very best in the crime-writing genre, are announced. Created in 1955, the world-famous CWA Daggers are the oldest awards in the genre and have been synonymous with quality crime writing for over half a century. The prestigious KAA Gold Dagger, sponsored by Kevin Anderson & Associates, is awarded for the best crime novel of the year.

1 month ago | crimetime.co.uk | Barry Forshaw

For the deluxe new Hammer package of Shatter (starring Stuart Whitman and the matchless Peter Cushing), I supplied an essay on Seventies Crime Movies. It was a golden era, and Shatter is an entry in a notably fruitful period for the genre. Looking back from the current era reminds us just how many gems appeared then, both British and American (not to mention from other points of the globe).

1 month ago | crimetime.co.uk | Barry Forshaw

A rare piece of good news: Stephen King’s frequently announced retirement hasn’t actually happened. And instead of showing signs of literary exhaustion, King’s gearshift of genre from horror to crime has brought about a recharging of his creative batteries. Proof? His new book, Never Flinch (Hodder £25), is among his most exuberant outings. In a bifurcated narrative, we are back in the company of vulnerable investigator Holly Gibney.