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The crime fiction thread

LudovicoLudovico
in General Discussion Posts: 16,307
I thought I’d make this thread about crime fiction, all crime fiction, in all mediums. So basically you can talk here about your favourite authors, novels, movies, etc. And what the genre means to you and where do you think it can go.

Comments

  • PropertyOfALadyPropertyOfALady Colders Federation CEO
    edited November 2018 Posts: 3,688
    I love Bullitt
  • LeonardPineLeonardPine The Bar on the Beach
    Posts: 4,619
    Anyone into Crime fiction books, check out Joe R Lansdale's Hap & Leonard books. You won't be disappointed.

    Start with Savage Season then Mucho Mojo.....
  • Escalus5Escalus5
    Posts: 654
    Kings of the Genre:

    Donald E. Westlake
    Charles Willeford
    David Goodis
    Elmore Leonard
    Jim Thompson
  • LudovicoLudovico
    edited November 2018 Posts: 16,307
    Escalus5 wrote: »
    Kings of the Genre:

    Donald E. Westlake
    Charles Willeford
    David Goodis
    Elmore Leonard
    Jim Thompson

    I've only read Elmore Leonard and Jim Thompson of these.

    My favourite contemporary ones now are George Pelecanos and Deon Meyer.
  • DragonpolDragonpol https://thebondologistblog.blogspot.com
    Posts: 18,983
    Great idea for a thread, @Ludovico.

    I've been collecting a pile of classic Golden Age fiction over the last few years in old paperback editions.

    Has anyone here read any John Dickson Carr/Carter Dickson, he of the locked room mystery fame? Any recommendations from among his work?
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Thanks @Dragonpol. I don't read Golden Age crime fiction much, not whodunits anyway, I'm more into hardboiled and noir.

    My wife bought me Cassandra Darke at Christmas, which was both a great Christmas read and an even greater crime fiction read.
  • Agent_99Agent_99 enjoys a spirited ride as much as the next girl
    Posts: 3,247
    @Ludovico suggested this as a place where I could indulge my fondness for Dick Tracy, so here I am!

    I've been a fan of the comic strip since I encountered it in my dad's Penguin History of Comics years ago. Soon after that the Disney film arrived, bringing a ton of merch. I enjoyed the recent reboot very much, too.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    I barely read Dick Tracy. I quite enjoyed the movie with Warren Beaty.
  • SaintMarkSaintMark
    Posts: 7,653
    Other brilliant and kings of the crime genre
    Michael Connelly - Harry Bosch series
    Richard Stark -Parker & Grofeld series
    Philip Kerr - Bernie Gunther series
    Simenon - Maigret series
    Colin Dexter - Morse series
    Richard B Parker - Jesse Stone and Spenser series
    Jo Nesbo - Harry Hole
    Jon Connolly - Charlie Parker
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    I'm reading The Last Hunt by Deon Meyer. Great stuff so far.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Today is Benny Griessel's birthday:

    I can't wait to read the new Deon Meyer novel when it is translated and released.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    edited April 30 Posts: 16,307
    Speaking again of Bennie Griessel, Deon Meyer is working on its tenth Griessel novel. It'll be released in November 2025 in Afrikaans and in 2026 in English.
  • GerardGerard
    Posts: 6,273
    I didn't know in which thread to put it, but given the subject matter, I decided to put it here :

  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Today is Sherlock Holmes Day: https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/sherlock-holmes-day/
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Some exciting news from the Deon Meyer newsletter: there's going to be a tv series adaptation of Blood Safari.
    https://www.deonmeyer.com/bloodsafari.html
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    And some very old news I stumbled upon recently, about Québec tv series Omerta:
    https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/omerta-huge-ratings-success-in-quebec-1.196482
    I cannot stress the importance of this tv series. It changed Québec television for the best and showed that we could do more than soap operas. On a personal level, it made me want to write crime fiction.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Anyone has reading or watching suggestions for #Noirvember, please let me know.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 3,114
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Anyone has reading or watching suggestions for #Noirvember, please let me know.

    Try checking the Film Noir thread. Although it isn't too active at the moment, there is a fairly impressive list of movies and actors that contributors have discussed over the years. I'm in the process of attempting to get the list of my 60 "essential" classic era film noirs down to 52, so I will post them so everyone can have a go at it!

    As to this year's #Noirvember, I've been fairly active on Bluesky and have listed some of my responses there (i.e., the greatest character introduction, etc..). It is my intention to post some of my "best of" in the Film Noir Thread as the month progresses.

    I have listed the first fifteen #NoirvemberChallenges (and will complete the list of 30 when I get a chance). Feel free to comment on or add to the discussion. I've really grown to love these films, and you can see where some of the elements of the early Bond movies started. Note, many of the films are now in the public domain - especially those associated with the poverty row studios of the day - so they can be found on Youtube.

    Hope this helps.


  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Dwayne wrote: »
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Anyone has reading or watching suggestions for #Noirvember, please let me know.

    Try checking the Film Noir thread. Although it isn't too active at the moment, there is a fairly impressive list of movies and actors that contributors have discussed over the years. I'm in the process of attempting to get the list of my 60 "essential" classic era film noirs down to 52, so I will post them so everyone can have a go at it!

    As to this year's #Noirvember, I've been fairly active on Bluesky and have listed some of my responses there (i.e., the greatest character introduction, etc..). It is my intention to post some of my "best of" in the Film Noir Thread as the month progresses.

    I have listed the first fifteen #NoirvemberChallenges (and will complete the list of 30 when I get a chance). Feel free to comment on or add to the discussion. I've really grown to love these films, and you can see where some of the elements of the early Bond movies started. Note, many of the films are now in the public domain - especially those associated with the poverty row studios of the day - so they can be found on Youtube.

    Hope this helps.


    Thanks. I'm not on Bluesky, but will see what I can do.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 3,114
    While I've been using Bluesky @Ludovico, I'm fairly certain that the same hashtag is used on twitter as well.

    In any case, the full list of #NoirvemberChallenges has been posted to our Film Noir thread, and I will probably post some recommended films tomorrow.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Dwayne wrote: »
    While I've been using Bluesky @Ludovico, I'm fairly certain that the same hashtag is used on twitter as well.

    In any case, the full list of #NoirvemberChallenges has been posted to our Film Noir thread, and I will probably post some recommended films tomorrow.

    I know it is. I just avoid Twitter nowadays.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 3,114
    Ludovico wrote: »
    Dwayne wrote: »
    While I've been using Bluesky @Ludovico, I'm fairly certain that the same hashtag is used on twitter as well.

    In any case, the full list of #NoirvemberChallenges has been posted to our Film Noir thread, and I will probably post some recommended films tomorrow.

    I know it is. I just avoid Twitter nowadays.

    I just remembered, you can follow #FilmNoirClub on bluesky. They normally have watch a-longs every Wednesday evening at 8:00PM ET. The offering this week was LARCENY (1948). In most cases the films are either in the public domain or freely assessable on the internet.

    Hope this helps.

    As for twitter, while I still maintain my account, with rare exceptions I almost never post there anymore.
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Thanks. Right now I'm rewatching The Godfather and started watching The Helicopter Heist on Netflix.
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    edited November 18 Posts: 3,114
    You may find this of interest @Ludovico.
    https://letterboxd.com/journal/film-noir-double-features/

    Dark Mirrors: handcuffing ten film noir classics to ten neo-noir masterworks

    The author (Travis Woods) pairs a classic film noir with a neo noir that explores similar themes. For example, he pairs CRISS CROSS (1949) with 1981's THIEF.

    5-five-0-800-0-0.jpg?k=cfdd7d7edf
  • LudovicoLudovico
    Posts: 16,307
    Thanks!
  • DwayneDwayne New York City
    Posts: 3,114
    For closure to #Noirvember you may find this YouTube video of "forgotten" film noirs to be interesting @Ludovico. Given that several of these films are currently in the US National Film Registry and/or have been remade, I'm not clear on just how forgotten they truly are. Films like "Gun Crazy" and "The Big Heat" are fairly well known and beloved by film fans. And in the latter case, the recent Criterion release was among their most popular 2025 titles.

    1. Ride the Pink Horse (1947) Dir.-Robert Montgomery (Universal Pictures) ♢ [Remade as 1964 TV Movie]
    2. T-Men (1947) Dir.-Anthony Mann (Eagle-Lion Films) [Remade in The File of the Golden Goose (1969)]
    3. Raw Deal (1948) Dir.-Anthony Mann (Eagle-Lion Films)
    4. Too Late for Tears (1949) Dir.-Byron Haskin (United Artists)
    5. Gun Crazy (1950) Dir.-Joseph H. Lewis (United Artists) ♢
    6. They Live by Night (1948) Dir.-Nicholas Ray (RKO Pictures) [Remade as Thieves Like Us (1974)]
    7. Union Station (1950) Dir.-Rudolph Mate (Paramount)
    8. Cry Danger (1951) Dir.-Robert Parrish (RKO Pictures)
    9. The Prowler (1951) Dir.-Joseph Losey (United Artists)
    10. The Narrow Margin (1952) Dir.-Richard Fleischer (RKO Pictures) [Remade in 1990]
    11. Kansas City Confidential (1952) Dir.-Phil Karlson (United Artists)
    12. The Big Heat (1953) Dir.-Fritz Lang (Columbia Pictures) ♢
    13. Private Hell (1954) Dir.-Don Siegel (The Filmakers)
    14. Murder by Contract (1958) Dir.-Irving Lerner (Columbia Pictures)
    15. Blast of Silence (1961) Dir.-Allen Baron (Universal )
    ♢ denotes that the film was been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant"
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