Quote of the Week

 

Friday's "Forgotten" Books - A Dram of Poison

American author Charlotte Armstrong Lewi (1905-1969) wrote poetry, plays, short stories and 28 novels under the name Charlotte Armstrong and the pen name Jo Valentine, as well as working in the worlds of fashion, advertising and accounting. Her first success as a novelist came in 1942 with the fairly conventional detective offering Lay On, MacDuff! (featuring an early series character MacDougall Duff). Her stories were frequently adapted for TV, and she also penned the teleplays for several episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents.

She won the Edgar Award in 1957 for her novel A Dram of Poison, sort of a Hitchcockian version of It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World. It all starts when 55-year-old Kenneth Gibson, a professor and confirmed bachelor, falls for a helpless and penniless woman twenty-three years younger. When his overbearing sister convinces him his wife only married him out of pity and is really in love with their young, handsome neighbor, Gibson decides suicide by poison is the only logical solution. But Gibson accidentally leaves the vial of poison, which looks like harmless bottle of olive oil, on a public bus. Terrified some innocent person could die due to his actions, a madcap search ensues, as more and more characters are brought into the hunt.

It's a difficult book to classify, less of a mystery and more of what can only be defined as "comic suspense," or perhaps a psychological portrait of a man discovering his true nature and seeing people around him as they really are for the first time. Anthony Boucher said it was one of his favorites and that "Reading it is an experience as delightful as it is unclassifiable" (I'm not the only one!), and called Armstrong a cross between Cornell Woolrich and Shirley Jackson. It's a short book, almost novella-length, filled with sly humor and quirky characters.

Other Armstrong books and stories are less whimsical and more noirish, often disguised as political allegories (e.g. commentaries on McCarthyism). Others were social commentaries or psychological studies, with the author herself once saying, "Maybe we are all potential murderers and reading stories about that crime releases us in some way."

Although Armstrong wrote a screenplay based on A Dram of Poison, and got Spencer Tracy interested in it at one point, it was never made into a movie. She had much better luck with her novel The Unsuspected, made into a Claude Rains-starring vehicle in 1947.

Mystery Melange

Crime Fiction Lover revealed the shortlists for its annual Crime Fiction Awards, "a special celebration at the end of the year that honours the finest our beloved genre has to offer." The nominations were submitted by readers, and all the thousands of nominations were then checked over by the blog's editorial team. The winner of each category will be determined by a vote among readers, plus the editors will also give an Editor’s Choice award. The online ballot closes at noon UK time on Wednesday, December 2.

Voting has also begun for the annual Goodreads Choice Awards, including titles in the Mystery & Thriller category. You can see all the twenty opening round finalists and vote for your favorites via this link.


Michael Bracken, a four time Derringer Award recipient and distinguished author of more than 1,300 short stories, will discuss his six key elements in writing short fiction, from capturing the reader’s attention to ending with impact, in a Zoom presentation on November 14 ET at noon. For registration and more information about the event, sponsored by the Wisconsin Chapter of Sisters in Crime, follow this link.


There are a couple of "noir" themed crime fiction conferences this weekend. Iceland Noir returns to Reykjavik, Iceland this weekend, with special guest Arnaldur Indriðason, Lee Child, Kim Stanley Robinson, Lilja Sigurðardóttir, Alex North / Steve Mosby, Makoto Yukimura, Lucy Foley, Chris Chibnall and many more. Plus, Venice Noir in Venice, Italiy, will feature presentations by special guests Mark Billingham, Elly Griffiths, David Hewson, Erin Kelly, Clare Mackintosh, Denise Mina, Abir Mukherjee, Barbara Nadel, Ambrose Parry, Ian Rankin, Lucy Worsley, and more. If you're lucky enough to be in the area for either of those events, tickets are still available.


Mystery Writers of America will present their next MWA University session on November 18th at 8pm EST via Zoom. Titled "Once Upon a Crime: Bringing Historical Mysteries to Life," the event will feature L.A. Chandlar with a master class on crafting historical mysteries that immerse readers in another era while keeping them turning pages. Explore how to weave research and your own unique flair into a compelling story, create characters shaped by their times, and build clues and investigations that fit a world before modern forensics. L.A. Chandlar is the author of the Lane Sanders Mystery Series.and has been nominated for the Agatha, Lefty, Macavity, and Anthony Awards; winner of Suspense Magazine's Crimson Scribe and the Guides Association of NY Apple Award.


Kirkus Reviews is out now with its 10 choices for the "Best Mysteries and Thrillers of 2026." The Rap Sheet also noted two additional "best of 2026" lists from prominent British booksellers Blackwell’s and Waterstones.


Kevin Tipple's Thursday Treats column has news of the launch of the new anthology, Gritmas 2: 14 Sinister Tales Inside, with proceeds going to Feed the Children; Unloaded: Volume 3 (now available for pre-order at Amazon in advance of the November 17th publication date), in which the 21 tales share the common thread of no guns involved; Santa Rage II: Another Killer Claus Compendium, also now available via pre-order, and much more.
 

Short Mystery Fiction President, Joseph S. Walker, posted an updated "Cornucopia of Great Reads" news from the short crime fiction community, including more about the last issue of Black Cat Weekly and its follow-on publication, Black Cat Mysteries; the new SMFS Mystery Magazine which just published its first issue; the release of the 2026 edition of The Best American Mystery and Suspense, edited by Megan Abbott and Steph Cha, and much more.


This week's crime poem up at the 5-2 Crime Poetry Weekly is "4VC51N6 817C#" by Kathrine Varnes.


In the Q&A roundup, Stephanie Wrobel, whose debut, Darling Rose Gold, was short-listed for the Edgar Award for Best First Novel, applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Revenge Plot; Crime Fiction Lover chatted with German architect-turned crime author C Trojan about his debut thriller, The Null Archive; and in a "blast from the past," The Bunburyist posted a link to a 1969 interview with The Today Show's Hugh Downs and author James M. Cain (The Postman Always Rings Twice, Double Indemnity) discussing violence in novels and on TV,  reactions to his work, and the reason he left Hollywood.

Best Swedish Crime Novels of 2026

The Swedish Crime Academy announced the best crime novels in three categories: Best Crime Novel of the Year for Swedish Translation, Best Crime Novel of the Year in Swedish, and Best Swedish Debut of the Year in the Crime Genre. In addition, three books have been nominated for Spårhunden, the best children's and young adult detective novel of the year. The winners will be announced on Sunday, November 29 in Eskilstuna.

Best Translated Novel

 

 

Michael Connelly: Upp till bevis (The Proving Ground, Norstedts, translated by Patrik Hammarsten)
S. A. Cosby: Kungen av aska (King of Ashes, Albert Bonniers förlag, translated by Fredrika Spindler)
Karin Fossum: Farväl, Farah Diba (Farewell, Farah Diba, Saga Egmont, translated by Sara Hemmel
Tana French, Jägaren (The Hunter, Modernista, translated by Åsa Brolin)
Anne Holt: Diamanter och rost (Diamonds and Rust, Piratförlaget, translated by Ann-Marie Skarp)

Best Swedish Crime Novel of the Year

 

 

 

Daniel Alfredson: Två steg tillbaka (Bokförlaget Polaris)
Camilla Grebe: Innan natten tar oss (Albert Bonniers förlag)
Pia Hagmar: Dy (Romanus & Selling)
Johanna Holmström: Björndråparen (Albert Bonniers förlag)
Victor Pavic Lundberg: Den fjärde väggen (Albert Bonniers förlag)

 

Best Debut Swedish Crime Novel of the Year

Linus Andersson: Vålnaden (Lind & Co)
Nina de Geer: Få dem att lyda (Albert Bonniers förlag)
Oskar Degard: Hämndoffer (Modernista)
Jörgen Hjerdt: Döda på semester (Kaunitz-Olsson)
Charlotte Stode: De som fallit i glömska (Pia & Co)

Best Swedish Children's/Young Adult Novel

Aron Landahl: Vad jag finner i rännstenen (Rabén & Sjögren)
Cecilia Lidbeck: Minnet av Nino (Lilla Piratförlaget)
Anders Sparring och Per Gustavsson: Familjen Knyckertz och den stora rymningen (Natur & Kultur)

Media Murder for Monday

It's the start of a new week and that means it's time for a brand-new roundup of crime drama news:


THE BIG SCREEN/MOVIES

Oscar winner Nicolas Cage, Alexander Ludwig, Gabriel Basso, and Maria Bakalova are set to star in the true crime movie, The Brand, based on the investigative New Yorker article by journalist David Grann. Directed by Vincent Grashaw (Gangland) and based on a screenplay by Alessandro Camon (The Messenger), The Brand follows Taylor Hartman (Ludwig) as a young lifer taken under the wing of Carter Briggs (Cage), the feared leader of San Quentin’s dominant white prison gang. When authorities attempt to dismantle the gang by transferring its members nationwide, they inadvertently spread its criminal empire beyond prison walls. Taylor rises through the ranks and is forced to choose between his love, Lilly (Bakalova), and his loyalty to his mentor.


Teyonah Parris is set to star opposite Denzel Washington in Amazon MGM Studios’ and United Artists’ untitled thriller with Christopher McQuarrie on board to direct. The film centers on a former police detective (Washington) serving a life sentence who is diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Granted compassionate release with six months to live, he returns home to the estranged daughter (Parris) he left behind and a grandson he never knew existed. He only wants to make amends and forget his dark past, but that past has not forgotten him. The film, which is penned by Scott Barkan and Gregg Zehentner, will be released in theaters on October 1, 2027.


Vertical has acquired North American rights to Father Joe, the Venice Film Festival action-thriller starring Kiefer Sutherland, Ever Anderson, Michael Rispoli, and Al Pacino. Written and produced by Luc Besson, the film is directed by Barthélémy Grossmann. The story centers on Father Joe (Sutherland), a man of God unlike any other, who wages a secret war single-handedly busting crime rings and turning the underworld of Manhattan’s Little Italy into his congregation. The cast also includes Fred Melamed, Chris Tardio, and Erik Palladino. 

Jeremy Renner will do battle with London gangs in his next project, as he's set to star in the new movie, 12 Bullets. The story follows a mysterious American who must wage a one-man war against rival criminal gangs tearing through London’s supposedly gun-free streets while armed with a single gun. But with only twelve bullets, every shot must count. Sean Ellis (Anthropoid) is directing from a script written by Tim Walker.  


Lionsgate has greenlit its anticipated John Wick animated film, with Keanu Reeves inking a deal to reprise his signature role as the iconic assassin in the billion-dollar franchise. Shannon Tindle (Ultraman: Rising, Kubo and the Two Strings) will direct the project, which will go back in time to tell the story of John Wick before the first film, as he completes the Impossible Task in order to free himself from his obligation to the High Table and earn the right to be with the love of his life, Helen.


TELEVISION/STREAMING

Chris Pratt is returning as Navy SEAL Lieutenant Commander and sniper, James Reece, in Amazon's The Terminal List franchise. The next installment will be adapted from Jack Carr’s novel, Savage Son, the third book in Carr’s series following The Terminal List, which was the basis for Season 1 of the TV series, and True Believer, which was adapted for Season 2. Savage Son is centered on a traitorous CIA officer who has found refuge with the Russian mafia with plans to kill Reece. Meanwhile, Reece is recovering from brain surgery in the Montana wilderness of his youth, learning to live again, putting his life back together with the help of investigative journalist Katie Buranek (Constance Wu) and his longtime friend and SEAL teammate Raife Hastings (Tom Hopper). With an unknown entity inside the U.S. government compromised by Russian intelligence, Reece is forced to recruit a team of former commandos to bring his unique brand of vengeance to the Russian mafia on their home turf, turning the hunters into the hunted.


An ensemble of heavyweight actors has joined the Stieg Larsson adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo from Sky, including Jonathan Pryce (Slow Horses) as Henrik Vanger, James D’Arcy (Oppenheimer) as Martin Vanger, Lena Olin (The Housewife) as Isabella Vanger, Camille Cottin (Stillwater) as Erika Berger, Alun Armstrong (The Choral) as Harald Vanger, Jessica Raine (Two Weeks in August) as Cecilia Vanger, and Paul Ready (The Terror) as Birger Vanger. The new cast join David Oyelowo (Silo) and Viola Prettejohn (The Crown), who are playing the lead roles of journalist Mikael Blomkvist and hacker Lisbeth Salander. The long-gestating TV version of the first in Larsson’s Millennium trilogy brings the story into the present day.


Fifty years after the NBC series, Jigsaw John, a new TV show is in the works telling the story of one of L.A.’s greatest detectives through the woman who unexpectedly found herself alongside him. Jigsaw John, whose real name was John St. John, was one of L.A.’s greatest detectives, leading high-profile cases like the Freeway Killer and Black Dahlia. He was with the LAPD for 50 years and ultimately carried its coveted Detective Badge No. 1. In 1982, Jane Howatt was a 35-year-old suburban mother and aspiring writer when she read about St. John receiving the LAPD’s Distinguished Service Medal. With no background in policing or journalism, she picked up the phone and asked one of America’s most formidable homicide detectives if she could write a book about him. What followed was a 13-year journey she took with St. John into the darkest corners of L.A., and Golden Possum Production’s adaptation of her book tells that story.


ITV has commissioned the gripping thriller, Nightswimming, starring BAFTA award-winning actor Lennie James as Matthew, a man who returns to his home in Portugal where he was convicted of the brutal murder of his family years earlier. Weaving between past and present, Nightswimming picks apart the events that led up to the devastating night when Matthew's wife and two teenage sons were brutally attacked in their beachfront home while Matthew was performing his nightly ritual, swimming in the ocean. In the present, Matthew mounts his own investigation into the crime that tore his life apart, confronting old friends, revisiting broken relationships, and interrogating the people who built the case against him. But as he slowly unravels what happened a decade before, he discovers it was someone much closer to home who helped to put him away.


Prime Video has released some first look images and a teaser trailer for Criminal, the upcoming series that features an “interlocking universe” of crime stories based on the graphic novels created by Ed Brubaker and Sean Phillips. The drama follows two friends who grew up in a life of crime. While one, Leo Patterson (Charlie Hunnam) tries to fight his way out of the world of crime, the other, Ricky Lawless (Gus Halper), is desperate to follow in the footsteps of his father, a legendary outlaw. And when Ricky’s older brother Tracy (Luke Evans) returns home from the Army, their tragic family history comes home with him. Drawn into their orbit are Greta (Adria Arjona), a sharp-tongued car thief from Leo’s past, and Mallory (Emilia Clarke), Ricky’s girlfriend, who fears what he’ll do to get by. The series also stars Richard Jenkins, Kadeem Hardison, John Hawkes, and Logan Browning. Prime Video has the series broken up into two parts, each containing four episodes. Criminal: Part 1 "Coward" arrives on January 13th, 2027. Criminal: Part 2 "Lawless" hits the streamer on January 27th.


Beef creator Lee Sung Jin has launched Lila Pictures and is developing two series for Netflix, including Citizen’s Arrest. The drama was created by Gene Hong, a producer on Beef, who also executive produced other series including Magnum P.I. Citizen’s Arrest follows two longtime friends and neighbors whose obsession with solving a local crime becomes an escape from the private crises neither is ready to face.


The Rockford Files, NBC‘s upcoming reboot of the 1970s series, is getting a special preview on January 2,  immediately following the network’s NFL telecast. The crime drama starring David Boreanaz will have its time slot premiere on Thursday, January 7, at 8 pm ET/PT. In the drama, a contemporary update on the classic series, James Rockford (Boreanaz), newly paroled after doing time for a crime he didn’t commit, returns to his life as a private investigator using his charm and wit to solve cases around Los Angeles. It doesn’t take long for his quest for legitimacy to land him squarely in the crosshairs of both local police and organized crime. Michaela McManus, Ilfenesh Hadera, and Jacki Weaver also star.


PODCASTS/RADIO/AUDIO

Peter James chatted with Paul Burke on Crime Time FM about his new Roy Grace crime thriller, Dead in Three Two One; Brighton crime central; life in a hotel, and more.


On the Spybrary podcast, Nick Harkaway joined Spybrary's Head of Fiction, Paul Burke, to discuss his new George Smiley novel, The Taper Man, Nick’s second novel set in John le Carré’s Circus cycle and the follow-up to Karla’s Choice.


On the latest Murder Junction, thriller writer Louise Candlish stopped by to discuss her latest novel, A Knock at the Door.


The latest episode of  the Crime Cafe featured Debbi Mack's interview with international banking expert and crime fiction writer Carl Vonderau.


The Sisters in Crime podcast welcomed Victoria Gilbert, who turned her early obsession with books into a dual career as a librarian and author. Retired from her position as a library director, she now works full-time as an author, writing the Blue Ridge Library Mystery series, the Booklover’s B&B Mystery series, the Hunter and Clewe traditional mystery series, and the Campus Sleuth mystery series.


On the latest Pick Your Poison podcast: A 30-year-old chemistry PhD candidate develops progressive difficulty walking and speaking months after a seemingly minor laboratory incident. His stroke evaluation, MRI, and lumbar puncture reveal nothing. What toxic exposure can hide for months, cross ordinary laboratory protection, and turn only a few drops into a fatal neurological mystery?

Sunday Music Treat

If you ever thought classical music was staid and boring, you probably haven't encountered Carlo Gesualdo (1566-1613). A New Yorker article referred to him as the "Prince of Darkness" and others have dubbed him the "Madman of the Renaissance" and not without good reason. He was responsible for at least two murders, but the prolific composer of madrigals and sacred works was also known for his complex and imaginative harmonies that were almost two hundred and fifty years ahead of their time. Here's his "Tenebrae factae sunt" from Feria Sexta - Tenebrae Responsories for Good Friday, sung by the Hilliard Ensemble:

 

 

Quote of the Week