Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Universal Pictures has scheduled its adaptation of Jo Nesbo's thriller The Snowman for release on October 13, 2017. The film stars Michael Fassbender as an elite crime squad’s lead detective investigating the disappearance of a victim on the first snow of winter who fears an elusive serial killer may be active again.

The popular film noir festival Noir City returns to San Francisco's majestic Castro Theatre for its 14th edition, from January 22-31, 2016. This year's theme is "The Art of Darkness" and includes 25 "noir-stained films exploring the pressures, pitfalls, paranoia and pain of being an artist in an indifferent and often cruel world." Two of the featured films are Nicholas Ray's In a Lonely Place and Fritz Lang's Scarlet Street.

STX Entertainment released the first trailer for the thriller Desierto from writer-director Jonás Cuarón (Gravity) that stars Gael García Bernal and Jeffrey Dean Morgan.

TELEVISION

House of Cards creator David Fincher and actress Charlize Theron are bringing the show Mindhunter to Netflix. The show is based on the 1996 book Mind Hunter: Inside the FBI's Elite Serial Crime Unit by John E. Douglas and Mark Olshaker and tells the true story of Douglas’ work as an FBI profiler of serial killers and violent sex offenders. Some TV analysts see parallels between the project and long-running CBS television show, Criminal Minds.  

John Singleton’s 1980s cocaine-epidemic drama pilot Snowfall got a boost in its pickup chances at FX when the California Film Commission approved its application for tax incentives should it go to series. Snowfall is set against the infancy of the crack cocaine epidemic in Los Angeles in the 1980s and focuses on a trio of main characters – ambitious dealer Franklin Saint (Damson Idris), Mexican wrestler-turned-gangster Gustavo Zapata (Sergio Peris-Mencheta) and prodigal son Logan Miller (Billy Magnussen).

Amazon Studios announced a slate of new productions for 2016, including the political thriller Patriot. Lost alum Terry O'Quinn stars as a State Department director of intelligence and the father of intelligence officer John Tavner (Australian newcomer Michael Dorman), whose latest assignment is to prevent Iran from developing a nuclear weapon. The cast also includes Michael Chernus, Kathleen Munroe, Ailette Opheim and Kurtwood Smith, and was written and directed by Steven Conrad (The Secret Life of Walter Mitty).

The Librarians star Christian Kane hinted that a Leverage movie is "going to happen." The series originally aired on TNT from 2008-2012 and featured a crew of high-tech crooks who attempted to steal from wealthy criminals and corrupt businessmen.

Acclaimed murder-mystery series Shetland, based on the novels of Ann Cleves, returns for a new six-part tale featuring DI Jimmy Perez and his team, on BBC One on January 15.

James Franco is heading to Lifetime to remake Mother, May I Sleep With Danger? for the cult classic's 20th anniversary. The original film starred Tori Spelling as a young woman whose perfect boyfriend turns out to be an abusive monster.  

Good news for American Crime fans: ABC has made the first episode available for free on iTunes. Stars Felicity Huffman and Timothy Hutton will soon be returning for the second season, which premieres on January 6.

Fox International Channels said it will air the revived six-episode event series The X-Files day-and-date across more than 60 countries. Once again directed by creator and original showrunner Chris Carter, the show reunites FBI agents Fox Mulder and Dana Scully (David Duchovny and Gillian Anderson) and will air on FIC’s Fox channels immediately following its January 24 debut on Fox in the U.S.

Wondering when you favorite shows will return in the new year? Deadline has a list of the premiere dates for all new and returning shows in the first part of 2016.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO

Award-winning author Kim Powers stopped by CrimeFiction.FM to discuss his first work of crime fiction, Dig Two Graves, which introduces Ethan Holt, an Olympic champion, college professor, and father who is raising a 12-year-old daughter named Skip.

Debbi Mack welcomed British spy thriller author, Jeremy Duns to her Crime Cafe podcast.

GAMES

A new computer game introduces young girls to coding basics by giving them a fun mystery to solve, with the help of the original girl-detective, Nancy Drew. The game, which is titled Nancy Drew: Codes and Clues, will target users who are young girls, ages five to eight.

Mystery Melange Christmas Edition

Last-minute gift givers (or just general book lovers) can take heed of some giveaways for the holidays: Criminal Element has a chance to win eight different books, several with holiday themes; and author Sue Coletta organized a Rafflecopter to win 30 crime novels.

Janet Rudolph has once again compiled a list of Christmas-themed mysteries for her blog Mystery Fanfare. Check out all the titles, beginning with A-D followed by E-H, then I-N, O-R, and finally S-Z.

Actor Stephen Fry has lent his vocal talents to two classic detective stories Audible is giving away as an exclusive Christmas gift to its members. The Coin of Dionysius and The Game Played in the Dark feature blind detective Max Carrados, part of Ernest Bramah's Carrados series that sometimes outsold Sherlock Holmes in the Edwardian era. If you don't have Audible, you can read the stories online (hat tip to Crime Fiction Lover who has the links).

Washington Post critic Michael Dirda chose "12 Books for Christmas" that include The Big Book of Sherlock Holmes Stories, edited by Otto Penzler, and The Spectrum of English Murder: The Detective Fiction of Henry Lancelot Aubrey-Fletcher and G.D.H. and Margaret Cole.

Classic Mysteries offers up suggestions of books you might consider as "stocking stuffer" gifts to introduce readers to mysteries from the Golden Age and beyond. Need more ideas? Read Me Deadly has 13 more Golden Age nuggets.

CBC Radio's Mystery Book Panel came up with a list of "13 gripping good books for the holidays."

If you're a classical music like I am, look no further for gifts (for a friend or yourself) with the recently-announced Grammy Nominees.

If you're looking for some fab holiday entertaining recipes, check out the Mystery Lovers Kitchen blog, with some Scottish Brown Sugar Shortbread Cookies, and the Cozy Chicks Blog  and some Red Velvet Truffles. If you're avoiding gluten, try the Mystery Lovers Kitchen Gluten-free Yule Log recipe.

Think you're a true Christmas fanatic? See how many of these "10 Interesting Facts about Christmas and Its Traditions" you know. (Hat tip to Bill Crider.)

Take a trip down memory lane with Mashable's video list of "100 years of toys will make you nostalgic for gift-giving of the past."

Mashable also made note (tongue-in-cheek) of "11 Christmas traditions from around the world we should all adopt immediately."

Sherlock star Benedict Cumberbatch sent a letter to Santa For National Letter Writing Day in the UK. But he was mostly asking for peace and literacy for the children of the world. And maybe a little something for himself.

Author, blogger, consultant, and former law enforcement officer Lee Lofland has a new take on a holiday classic, with "The Twelve Graveyard Shifts of Christmas."

What do you do when you work  in a company best known for its vacuum cleaners? According to these Dysons' engineers, it's only logical that you build a Christmas tree using the power of wind to create floating ornaments.

If you're feeling a bit Grinch-like this holiday season, you might enjoy binge watching the list of movies NPR compiled, "Oh Holy Fright: Christmas Horror Movies That Slay."

In that same vein, if you are thinking about poisoning someone this Christmas (only in your books, of course!), you might think again, according to Dr. Kathryn Harkup, a chemist and author of A Is for Arsenic: The Poisons of Agatha Christie.

Not a fan of Christmas sweaters? Try these "10 alternatives for people who hate Christmas jumpers."

And if all else fails, find that warm, buzzy holiday cheer through the "12 Days of Cocktails" via Omnivoracious.

Media Murder for Monday

AWARDS

The film and TV nominees for the Critics' Choice Awards were announced last week. Fargo led the TV pack with eight nominations, including Best Movie Made for Television or Limited Series and acting nominations for Patrick Wilson, Kirsten Dunst, Nick Offerman, Jesse Plemons, Bokeem Woodbine, Cristin Miloti, and Jean Smart. Other crime drama nods in the TV category included Luther and its star Idris Elba; Hugh Dancy (Hannibal), Rami Malek (Mr. Robot), Liev Schreiber (Ray Donovan), and Viola Davis (How to Get Away With Murder). On the cinema side, Bridge of Spies and its director Steven Spielberg and star Mark Rylance also received nominations.

The London Critics’ Circle also announced their 2015 nominees, with nods to Bridge of Spies (actor Mark Ryland), The Revenant (director Alejandro G Iñárritu, stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy and Film of the Year), and Sicario (actors Benicio Del Toro and Emily Blunt and Tom Ozanich for sound design).

The American Film Institute delayed the date on which it chose the Top 10 films of 2015 so that its jury could see a number of films that didn’t screen until late in the year. But late last week, AFI released its "best" lists, including the movie Bridge of Spies and TV shows The Americans, Better Call Saul, Fargo, Homeland, and Mr. Robot.

MOVIES

The crime thriller Too Late is getting a special 35mm-only theatrical release this spring nationwide. The film stars John Hawkes as a troubled private investigator hired to find a missing woman with whom he has a messy relationship. The project was framed as a story in five acts shot in the 35mm Techniscope format, with each chapter comprised of a single 20+ minute uncut shot.

German producers Philipp Kreuzer and Jörg Schulze are launching Maze Pictures with their first project being an adaptation of The Crimson Rivers, the best-selling novel by Jean-Christophe Grangé. Set in the world of the macabre, the thriller follows two detectives investigating a series of grisly murders.

Laura Linney is in talks to star in the psychological thriller The Dinner, with Oren Moverman set to direct from his own script. Based on the novel by Herman Koch, the story is set at a dinner in Amsterdam and revolves around around two brothers, one running for prime minister of the Netherlands, who must deal with their teenage sons having committed a violent crime. The book was previously adapted in 2013 by Menno Meyjes as a Dutch drama and screened at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was also the source for a 2014 Italian drama from Ivano De Matteo and screened at Venice where it won the Europa Cinemas Label as best European film.

The Charlie's Angels reboot has taken a step closer with the hiring of Evan Spiliotopoulos to write the script. Spiliotopoulos most recently penned the script for another action thriller, the Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson-starring Hercules in 2014. Director Elizabeth Banks had been previously announced as the film's director.

Charlotte Gainsbourg is in talks to join Michael Fassbender and Rebecca Ferguson in The Snowman, the adaptation of Jo Nesbo's thriller, which will be exec produced by Mrtin Scorsese and directed by Tomas Alfredson. The story centers on idiosyncratic Oslo police department detective Harry Hole who investigates the murder of a woman whose scarf is found wrapped around a snowman.

Black Label Media acquired rights to an untitled feature film that centers on the 2011 scandal that rocked the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and centers on Operation Pandora’s Box, a secret program masterminded by the LASD to hide an informant inmate that was feeding the FBI dirt on abuse at the Men’s Central Jail. Jesse Zwick (About Alex) and Michael Weintraub will write the script.

TELEVISION

Kiefer Sutherland is returning to the small screen for ABC's conspiracy thriller Designated Survivor. He'll play a low-ranking member of the United States Cabinet who finds himself suddenly destined for the Oval Office as the appointed President after a massive attack during a State of the Union leaves the POTUS, the V.P. and everyone else above Sutherland’s paygrade dead.

Amazon Studios picked up the action-drama Bulletproof. To be written by Corey Miller (CBS’ Reckless), the show revolves around a female Marine sniper-turned-assassin who is hired to kill a cop. The same company that is producing the pilot, EuropaCorp, also just cut a deal with mystery writer David Baldacci to develop a project.

Good news and bad news for fans of TNT programming: the network has renewed the mystery adventure drama The Librarians, the serialized crime drama Murder In The First, and the crime procedural Major Crimes. At the same time, TNT canceled Public Morals, Legends, and Agent X.

Fans of Fargo are going to have to wait until 2017 for the third season of the FX series, according to show creator Noah Hawley. As previously announced, the new season will be set in 2010, four years after Season 1, but will not include any of the first season regulars as primary players in the action. [Warning: This article link contains spoilers for the entirety of Fargo season two...]

PODCASTS/RADIO/VIDEO

PBS' Masterpiece announced Masterpiece Studio, a new podcast that will "give an insider's view to some of the most popular shows presented on Masterpiece." The first installment of the podcast will go live on Dec. 21, with an interview with Sherlock actor and co-creator Mark Gatiss.

On this latest Crime and Science Radio, the topic is  Men of Valor," an interview with author and weapons expert John F. Mullins, Major U.S. Army Special Forces (Ret.)

Debbi Mack's Crime Cafe welcomed crime fiction author Kenneth Wishnia to chat about his Filomena Buscarsela mystery series and other novels, as well as the anthology Jewish Noir.

The latest Thrilling Reads podcast hosted Cheryl Bradshaw, the New York Times & USA Today bestselling author writing in the genres of mystery, thriller, romantic suspense, and paranormal suspense.

Author Jeff Shelby joined CrimeFiction.FM to discuss his new book, the sixth in Joe Tyler mystery series, Thread of Revenge.

If you're a fan of NPR's comedy quiz show, "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell, Me," you're probably familiar with the part of the show where they invite a celebrity guest to answer a series of questions. In one recent episode, Lee Child stopped by so the bestselling author could answer three questions about books that sold really, really badly.

Mystery Melange

Writing for The New Republic, Sarah Weinman investigated the case of the "Disappearing Black Detective Novel" and the career of Hughes Allison, a black mystery writer with a once-promising future whose works paved the way for Chester Himes and Water Mosley.

Leeds-based writer Kathleen McKay has won Moth Publishing’s Northen Crime Competition with her novel Hard Wired, which will be published in summer 2016. The Northern Crime Competition was founded to "recognise and publish talented new crime writers from the North of England."

A new exhibition at Pointe-à-Callières Museum in Montreal reveals a side of Agatha Christie that is as unusual as unexpected, delving into her "secret life in archaeology."

In spring of 2016, Oneworld Publishing will launch a new crime imprint called Point Blank, curated by editor Jenny Parrott and encompassing literary crime, thrillers and psychological suspense by UK and international writers. The list will launch in February with French Concession, a "bold and smokily atmospheric Chinese noir" by Xiao Bai, and A Perfect Crime by A Yi, described by the Wall Street Journal as a “psychological probe into a pathological mind."

The new issue of Mystery Scene Magazine profiles The Library of America's collection of eight lost classics of the genre published in the 1940s and '50s; crime writers Megan Abbott and Lisa Scottoline add their perspectives on Golden Age female detective writers; Ed Gorman interviews prolific author and mystery genre advocate, Robert Randisi; Joseph Goodrich reviews the TV series Foyles War; Jake Hinkson looks back at Orson Welles and his significant contribution to film noir; and Kevin Burton Smith comes to the rescue of all you procrastinators out there with the magazine's annual gift guide for mystery lovers.

The second issue of the UK-based quarterly magazine Crime Scene focuses on Scandinavian crime TV, with a major feature on The Bridge and one on Kenneth Branagh’s Wallander as well. Plus there are more articles about TV crime, including an interview with Luther star Idris Elba, an interview with David Baldacci, and a cornucopia of book reviews.  (Hat tip to Crime Fiction Lover.)

Mystery Weekly Magazine's December issue features the cover story "Stand-In" by Ellery Queen alumna Carolyn E. Kourofsky, as well as more original mysteries from Nupur Tustin, Calvin Demmer, James Blakey, and Robert Petyo.

It's not too early to be thinking about the upcoming movies in 2016, and Popsugar compiled a list for bibliophiles of "28 Great Books That Are Getting the Movie Treatment in 2016," including the adaptations of Paula Hawkins' Girl on the Train and Inferno by Dan Brown.

A new digital archive from Gale, a part of Cengage Learning, is bringing more than 2 million pages of primary source material to support the study of nineteenth century history, literature, law and criminal justice. The project is titled Crime, Punishment, and Popular Culture, 1790-1920 and provides access to trial transcripts, police and forensic reports, criminal case files, detective agency records, detective novels, newspaper accounts, true crime literature and more to enhance the understanding of the intersection of law and society during a pivotal era of social change.

Stanley Trollip profiled South African crime fiction for the Murder is Everywhere blog, noting that over the last fifteen years there has been an explosion of authors writing contemporary crime fiction in the country.

The Guardian studied the rising popularity of the true-crime genre on TV led by US podcast Serial, Channel 4’s recent The Murder Detectives, and bestselling books.

More Top of 2015 lists are out, including Crime Fiction Lover contributors with their "Top 5" of the year; The Rap Sheet continued its slate of guest bloggers posting their favorites of the year, including Part Two of Jim Napier's list, and contributions from Stephen Miller, Kevin Burton Smith, Ali Karim, Anthony Rainone and Seamus Scanlon, and Rap Sheet editor J. Kingston Pierce; The Guardian compiled a list of Best Crime and Thriller Books; the Wall Street Journal chose its Best Mystery picks; Ominivoracious listed its "Best Mysteries, Thrillers & Suspense of 2015"; and the Chronicle Herald posted "Top selections for mysteries of 2015."

This week's crime poem at the 5-2 weekly is "Driving While Black" by Charles Rrammelkamp, and the new monthly story at Beat to a Pulp is "Fundamental Breach" by William E. Wallace.

In the Q&A roundup, Jo Bannister chatted with Huffington Post about Desperate Measures, the latest book featuring police officer Hazel Best; Art Taylor stopped by the Do Some Damage blog to discuss On the Road with Del & Louise, a book that Kirkus Reviews called "one of the year's promising debuts"; O
mnimystery News welcomed Joseph B. Atkins to talk about his new novel Last Chance; Michael Connelly took the five-question challenge from The Globe and Mail; Louise Penny stopped by the Mysterious People blog to offer insights into her writing and career; and Peter James joined D.P. Lyle for a conversation about You are Dead, the eleventh novel in the Detective Superintendent Roy Grace series.

Media Murder for Monday

AWARDS

The Golden Globe Awards were announced late last week, and although crime dramas weren't much in evidence on the film side, they were leading contenders on the TV end of things. Best Drama Series nominees include the cyberthriller Mr. Robot (USA) as well as the dramatized look at the criminal exploits of Colombian drug lord Pablo Escobar, Narcos (Netflix). Among the nominees for Best TV movie or limited series, notables included Fargo (FX) and American Crime (ABC). For all the nominees in the various categories, click here. For nominations by TV shows and networks, use this link and for the nominations by films and studios, check out this link.

The Screen Actors Guild also announced this year's top performances in film and television. Johnny Depp was nominated for his turn as iconic criminal Whitey Bulger in Black Mass, and Mark Rylance for the Cold War drama Bridge of Spies. Crime drama acting nods included Rami Malek for Mr. Robot, Bob Odenkirk for Better Call Saul, Idris Elba for Luther, Ray Liotta for Texas Rising, Claire Danes for Homeland, and Viola Davis for How to Get Away with Murder.

The Writers' Guild of America announced its nominees for the best Television, New Media, News, Radio & Promotional Writing in 2015. The Drama Series category includes The Americans, Better Call Saul, Games of Thrones, Mad Men, and Mr. Robot. For the complete (and long) list of the finalists, check out this link.

MOVIES

Turner Classic Movies and Fathom Events are extending their partnership to screen classic films in theaters through 2016. Two of the films to be shown next include The Maltese Falcon 75th Anniversary on Feb. 21 and 24 and On The Waterfront starring Marlon Brando in the classic tale of crime and corruption among unionized dock workers in New York and New Jersey (April 24 and 27).

TELEVISION

Showtime announced that the political crime drama Homeland will be returning next year a sixth season, although no details were released as to the locale or which characters will return along with Carrie (played by Clare Danes).

Fox greenlighted a second season of the supernatural-psychological mystery drama Wayward Pines, based on the book by Blake Courch. Season 2 will pick up right where Season 1 left off and introduce a new character that arrives in the mysterious town and is immediately drawn into the central rebellion.

Fox also ordered the event series Shots Fired, which examines "the dangerous aftermath of racially charged shootings in a small town in Tennessee." Sanaa Lathan (The Perfect Guy) will star as an expert investigator who digs into the cases, alongside a special prosecutor sent to the town by the Department of Justice.

CBS is developing Now You See Her, a legal drama based on the book by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge. Blue Bloods executive producer Siobhan Byrne O’Connor is penning the adaptation and will also serve as one of the executive producers, along with Patterson. Now You See Her centers on a successful attorney at a boutique New York City law firm who hides her past as a murderer until a case threatens to expose her and upend her new life and career.

NBC announced it's renewing The Blacklist, which will debut its Season 4 next year. The crime drama revolves around Raymond "Red" Reddington (James Spader), a former United States Navy officer turned high-profile criminal who gets immunity from the FBI to guide their operations in investigating his list of the most dangerous criminals in the world.

TNT has given series orders to the dramas Animal Kingdom and Good Behavior. The network ordered 10 episodes of both series, with production set to begin in 2016. Animal Kingdom centers on 17-year-old Joshua Cody, played by Finn Cole, who moves in with his freewheeling criminal relatives in their Southern California beach town after his mother dies of a heroin overdose. Based on Blake Crouch’s series of books, Good Behavior stars Michelle Dockery as Letty Dobesh, a thief and con artist whose life is always one wrong turn, or one bad decision from implosion – which is exactly how she likes it

USA is developing the docudrama 8 Years Lost From Blumhouse TV. Conceived to look and feel exactly like a true crime documentary, the project tells the story of Jayna Beckner, a teenage girl who went missing in 2007 and whose body is discovered eight years later. When we learn these remains were just a few weeks old the mystery deepens– where has Jayna been all this time? And why was she killed now?

The BBC is airing the three-part adaptation of And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie. Although fans in the U.S. will have to wait until production partner Lifetime announces a broadcast date for the mini-series, you can console yourself with a trailer for the show. Hard-core Christie fans may need to fasten their seat belts, as it appears the adaptation may not be quite what they're accustomed to.

ABC released a trailer for its Madoff miniseries, starring Richard Dreyfus as the infamous and disgrace con man and Blythe Danner as his wife.

In a new behind-the-scenes look at the upcoming X-Files mini-series, the show's stars and creators assured fans they won't be disappointed with the direction the show is taking.

The first trailer was released for the Netflix series Making a Murderer, which follows the case of of Steven Avery, a Wisconsin man who served 18 years in prison for a rape he didn't commit, and was charged with murder two years after he got out.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO

CBC Radio documentary producer Karin Wells traveled to Ystad, a picture-perfect little town on the south coast of Sweden, where Henning Mankell set the Wallander novels, to find out more about the literary phenomenon of Swedes airing their society's problems in bestselling crime novels.

This month's Crime Vault podcast had hosts Mark Billingham and Michael Carlson interviewing British crime fiction author John Harvey, creator of the Resnick series of novels among many others; plus reviews of Le Carre: The biography by Adam Sisman, Mulberry Bush by Charles McCarry, Alison Gaylin’s Into The Dark and Graham Hurley’s The Order Of Things; and discussions of crime dramas The Detectives, Black Mass, Unforgotten, and more.

Crime Fiction FM welcomed journalist and screenwriter John Schulian to discuss his debut crime novel, A Better Goodbye and  some of the primary characters in his book, which include an ex-boxer, a massage girl, a washed up B-movie actor and thug.  

The latest Thrilling Reads podcast featured Stacy Green, the author of the Lucy Kendall thriller series and the Delta Crossroads mystery trilogy.

Mystery Melange

John Verdon has won the 2015 Nero Award for Peter Pan Must Die, the fourth novel in his series about retired homicide detective Dave Gurney. This announcement was made this past weekend during a banquet hosted by the New York City-based Nero Wolfe/Archie Goodwin fan organization, The Wolfe Pack. Also in contention for this year’s prize were Herbie’s Game, by Timothy Hallinan; The Detective & the Pipe Girl, by Michael Craven; First Light, by Al Lamanda; and The Detective, by James Patrick Hunt. (Hat tip to the Gumshoe Site.)

The "Best of 2015" lists continue apace with the New York Times' "100 Notable Books of 2015"; the Boston Globe's "Best Books" list; The Guardian's Best crime and thriller books of 2015; and Marilyn Stasio's picks for the NYT of what are essentially her standout crime fiction books of the year.

Writing for the Rap Sheet, author and podcaster Steven Nester put forth his choices for Favorite Crime Fiction of 2015, Part One.

French publisher Gallimard has published C'est l'histoire de la Série Noire to mark the 70th anniversary of its crime fiction series Série Noire, which helped establish the literary reputation of hardboiled authors such as Chester Himes (Coffin Ed Johnson/Grave Digger Jones series) and Charles Williams (Dead Calm). The Bibliothèque des littératures policière in Paris is hosting an exhibition in conjunction with the book.  (Hat tip to Elizabeth Foxwell.)

In the aftermath of the recent horrible and tragic San Bernardino shooting, USA Today took a look at other couples and crime that go back decades and far beyond Bonnie and Clyde.

Chanuka began on December 6, and Janet Rudolph compiled a list of Chanuka-themed crime fiction books on her Mystery Fanfare blog.

We have to say good-bye to two more crime fiction authors in 2015, with news of the death of Scottish writer William McIlvanney at age 79 and Hazel Holt at age 87. In addition to earning the title "the godfather of tartan noir," McIlvanney was also an influential poet, journalist and broadcaster. He penned the Laidlaw trilogy and numerous other Glasgow-based works such as Docherty, The Big Man, and The Kiln. Holt was best known for her Mrs. Malory series and Dear Charlotte, a British mystery based on the letters of Jane Austen.

Pulp Modern editor Alec Cizak posted a notice that he'd contemplated shutting down the 'zine but has since decided he's going to continue publishing and is actively seeking short stories through the end of this month. He prefers crime stories on any subject matter, "the most shocking, outrageous crime stories ever written."

The Bad Sex in Fiction Award this year went to former lead singer of The Smiths, Morrissey, for his writing in List Of The Lost. Other finalists include George P. Pelecanos for his book The Martini Shot. You'll have to read the article for excerpts from all the "winning" entries.

A new UK site, Armchair Investigator, features top crime investigators who are all passionate about crime fiction and are keen to review latest titles and be part of the crime fiction community. Reviewers include the first woman to ever reach Detective Chief Supt in Greater Manchester Police; a top Met Police officer; a former CIA agent who now lives in Israel; a top private investigator well-known for his work in tracking down missing people in France; and one of the country’s leading forensic academics from Derby University.

This week's featured crime poem at the 5-2 is "Cell Block 5" by Olivia Romano.

In the Q&A roundup, Jeff Cohen stopped by the Promoting Crime blog to talk about his career and writing four mysteries a year; Redbrick culture critic Holly Reaney chatted with author Marnie Riches, the award winning author of The Girl Who Wouldn't Die about life, books and advice for 18 year olds; Phyllis Entis was featured at Omnimystery News talking about the second entry in her Damien Dickens, P.I. series, The White Russian Caper; the International Thriller Writers snagged an interview with Janet Hutchins, editor of Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, to talk about the publication's past, present, and future as it looks to its 75th anniversary in 2016; the Mystery People welcomed Tom Pitts to talk about his new novel Hustle; Karin Slaughter stopped by the Atlanta Journal Constitution to discuss true crime and her latest thriller, Pretty Girls; Tim Hallinan survived "Twenty Questions" via Dana King's blog One Bit at a Time; and The Mystery People sat down with James Lee Burke to talk about his latest novel, House of the Rising Sun that features Texas Ranger Hackberry Holland.

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

San Francisco's historic Castro Theatre will once again offer up its Noir City Xmas movie festival on December 16th. This year's event will screen Max Ophüls' The Reckless Moment (1949) at 7:30 and Henry Hathaway's Kiss of Death (1947) at 9:30, both in 35mm.  (Hat tip to Janet Rudolph.)

After successfully helming the latest Mission Impossible installment, Rogue Nation, Christopher McQuarrie has signed on to again direct the follow-up, M:I 6. The story line and casting, however (other than Tom Cruise as star), have yet to be announced.

Warner Bros. released the first trailer for Shane Black‘s detective movie The Nice Guys, starring Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. Set in Los Angeles in the 1970s, Gosling plays a private eye who teams up with a bruiser played by Crowe to investigate a porn star’s suicide, ultimately uncovering a conspiracy involving air pollution and the auto industry.

TELEVISION

Fox has closed a script deal for the TV franchise Rambo: New Blood, based on the feature films starring Sylvester Stallone, although the new series will explore the complex relationship between Rambo and his son, J.R., an ex-Navy SEAL. Stallone has an option to reprise his famous titular character in the TV version, although no official word has been released.

Former Smallville star Tom Welling is returning to television to star in the CBS drama Section 13, written by Bones alumna Carla Kettner. Section 13 centers on a CIA black ops officer-turned-private contractor (Welling) who, after a personal tragedy, joins a covert organization devoted to carrying out the most difficult and dangerous high-stakes assignments.

BBC One has ordered the six-part, pre-apocalyptic drama Hard Sun from Luther's Neil Cross. Set in contemporary London, it will feature detective partners and enemies who seek to enforce the law and protect their loved ones in a world that every day slips closer to certain destruction.

Amazon Video is set to produce the legal drama Trial, its straight-to-series drama starring Oscar winners Billy Bob Thornton, William Hurt, Olivia Thirlby, Maria Bello, Molly Parker, and Sarah Wynter. Trial, which has a 10-episode order, was written by David E. Kelley (Ally McBeal) and Jonathan Shapiro (The Practice)

Quentin Tarantino wants to bring Elmore Leonard's Forty Lashes Less One to the small screen. The title refers to the biblical concept that forty lashes would kill a man, so the maximum punishment you might give before death would be 39. In Leonard's book, a black man and a Chiricahua Apache man have been sentenced to death but are given a second lease on life if they can track down five of Arizona’s most dangerous criminals.  

Fargo is going back to the future in its third season that takes place a couple of years after the events of Season 1, set in 2006 (the in-progress second season is set in 1979). Characters from Season 1 or even older versions of characters from Season 2 could potentially return, just as there have already been connections between the first and second seasons: the character of Lou Solverson appeared in both seasons, played by Keith Carradine in Season 1 and Patrick Wilson in Season 2.

Discovery has put in development the scripted anthology drama series Manifesto, from Black List writer Andrew Sodroski and Kevin Spacey and Dana Brunetti’s Trigger Street. The show will explore how the FBI caught infamous criminal masterminds, with each season following a different case. The first season will focus on the FBI agent, a highly specialized linguist, who used unconventional means to bring Ted Kaczynski, aka the “Unabomber,” to justice after nearly a 20-year manhunt.  

Fans of Rizzoli and Isles and Major Crimes will be happy to hear that TNT announced the return dates of the two popular crime dramas. Major Crimes will resume the rest of its fourth season on Monday, Feb. 15, and the following day, Rizzoli & Isles will kick off the remaining six episodes of its sixth season with back-to-back episodes.

FX released the first full trailer for its miniseries American Crime Story: The People Vs. O.J. Simpson based on Jeffrey Toobin's book The Run of His Life. Premiering February 2, the project's cast includes Cuba Gooding Jr. as Simpson, Sarah Paulson as Marcia Clark, Sterling K. Brown as Christopher Darden, Courtney B. Vance as Johnnie Cochran, John Travolta as Robert Shapiro, David Schwimmer as Robert Kardashian and Connie Britton as Faye Resnick.

Ripper Street fans will rejoice at the return of Victorian police procedural for its fourth season in January, but in the meantime, you can watch the 90-second trailer that includes new cast members David Threlfall (Shameless) and Matthew Lewis (Harry Potter).

PODCASTS/RADIO/VIDEO

The latest Crime & Science Radio podcast, "Bones Tell the Tale," featured forensic anthropologist turned best-selling author Kathy Reichs.

Debbi Mack's Crime Cafe welcomed author Austin Camacho to chat about his Hannibal Jones mystery series and other novels.

On Crime Fiction FM, author and emergency room physician, Melissa Yi, discussed the fourth book in the Hope Sze series, Stockholm Syndrome.

Percival Constantine was the most recent guest on Thrilling Reads. The author was born and raised in the Chicagoland area and now lives in Japan, where he's worked as editor, formatter, letterer, and author of comics, short stories, novellas and novels.

Joe Clifford talked about his debut novel Lamentation on Speaking of Mysteries.

Mystery Melange

The Ireland AM Crime Novel of the Year was handed out to After the Fire by Jane Casey. For the other shortlisted titles, visit the Irish Book Awards official website.

Also just announced were the Goodreads Readers' Choice Awards, with The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins winning in the Mystery/Thriller category. For a listing of all of the finalists, check out the official Goodreads awards page.

The "Best of the Year" lists have begun, with the Washington Post throwing its hat into the ring by announcing its choices for "Best mystery books and thrillers of 2015." J. Kingston Pierce also picked his Best of the Best for Kirkus Reviews with a list of "10 of the Most Arresting Crime Novels of 2015."

Seattle will host an upcoming Noir at the Bar event on December 9 in The Alibi Room. Featured authors schedule to appear and read from their works include Robert Dugoni, Ingrid Thoft, Brian Thornton, Sarah Chen, Danny Gardner, Frank Zafiro, and Michael Pool.

The Autumn edition of Mysterical-E features ten new original short tales of crime fiction, plus Gerald So's column on crime dramas on TV and film, an article on holiday mysteries by C.A. Verstraete, interviews with Mars Preston and Virgil Alexander, and the usual assortment of book reviews.

In an article for The Atlantic, Marshall Jon Fisher profiled Charles Willeford, "The Unlikely Father of Miami Crime Fiction," and how he sparked the modern South Florida mystery craze including such authors as Carl Hiaasen and James W. Hall.

Did you know you can take a tour of the CIA museum? Well, online, at least. The website exhibit includes declassified artifacts associated with the CIA's predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services, as well as foreign intelligence organizations, and the CIA itself.

Now that the Christmas shopping season is in full swing, the Chicago Tribune's Lloyd Sachs compiled a listing of "Crime fiction to give as gifts."

Writing for The Guardian, Andrew Miller showcased his "Top 10 of the best dialogue in crime fiction," from Agatha Christie to Raymond Chandler.

Although this isn't particularly crime fiction-related, it is a bit of interesting literary-related news: archaeologists digging up Shakespeare's home in Stratford-upon-Avon, uncovered the playwright's kitchen, including a hearth and cold storage pit.

The new crime poem at the 5-2 this week is "Melodrama at the Biograph" by Sharon Israel.

In the Q&A roundup this week, author John Benedict stopped by Omnimystery News to talk about the latest installment of his medical thrillers, Fatal Complications; Scott Butki interviewed Belgian author Bavo Dhooge, whose first book to be translated into English, Styx, was just published, for The Mystery People; and author David Morrell spoke with fellow author and crime fiction legend Lawrence Block about his latest work, The Girl with the Deep Blue Eyes.