Yes, Charles Yu names his main character after himself. That main character, in fact, is both time-machine repairman and author of a… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
When a novel is based on an actual crime, it should do much more than loosely fictionalize it. The novel must stand… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
The abundance of Roman historical mysteries contrasts with the surprising paucity of crime novels set in classical Greece. — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Rereading 'Child 44' brought out the novel's meatier pleasures, its ability to create vivid characters in a world both alien to our… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
One of the things that has puzzled me the most in my years of serious mystery reading is why there are relatively… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Six books after the surprises of 'Full Dark House,' the Bryant and May novels continue to stay within the bounds of formula… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Five years before 'Kitchen Confidential' - and before then, the 'New Yorker' essay that led to the book - Bourdain published 'A… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Dorothy B. Hughes - there's a robust elegance to her writing that I keep responding to again and again. I've read her… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
I retain characters more often than plot, but what seems to happen is that I latch on to specific moments, turns of… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
I first read 'Lolita' when I was 16, which I think is a little bit young. But it was a thrilling and… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
When I first read Helen Weinzweig's 'Basic Black with Pearls' several years ago, I emerged in the sort of daze that happens… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
As I considered Parker and his absurdist reflection in the Westlake-authored 'Dortmunder' novels, I wrote, 'His natural ability to observe human behavior… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Reading 'Ghost Waltz' and 'Nine and a Half Weeks' side by side, Day's vulnerabilities come shimmering into view. Both books examine the… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Though 'Child's Play' is ultimately more concerned with subverting storytelling expectations and satirizing the expected trajectory of traditional mystery, Posadas does embed… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Authors don't tend to stay with the same agents and editors over their entire lifetimes, but Grafton worked with Marian Wood, her… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Wambaugh's naturalistic portrait of the cop world turned 'Centurions' and 'The Blue Knight' (1972) into bestsellers, but his next two books made… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
I've waited for a novel from Charles Yu with eager anticipation since being bowled over by his 2006 short story collection, 'Third… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
With only one novel to her credit, Anna Jarzab can't quite be classified in Werlin country, but 'All Unquiet Things' is a… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Indeed, mysteries lead readers through an endless variety of subjects and settings; yet sometimes devotees of detection seek to be transported though… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Sue Grafton's 'A Is for Alibi', the 1982 novel that introduced the world to private detective Kinsey Millhone, wasn't seen as the… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
There are two ways to approach the writing of a mystery novel: adhere to the rules, or break them with glee. — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose.… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
I've tried to slow this down but realized that my natural reading rhythm is freakishly fast when an author friend asked me… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
The Cold War was over, presidential sex scandals superseded foreign concerns, and the American public was more interested in reading about fiendish… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Longest book was '2666' by Roberto Bolano, and it was an irregular reading experience. I read the first four parts during a… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Although we might think of Holmes as the Ur-sleuth, the seminal inspiration for many writers comes not from the chronicles of Baker… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Joseph Wambaugh did not invent the police novel, but no one had seen anything like 'The New Centurions' when it was published… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Judging by the volume of titles published each year, mystery readers are restless in their pursuit of literary escape. They might travel… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
'The Choirboys' is very much a product of its mid-1970s time, especially in its two-dimensional portrayals of cop groupies Ora Lee and Carolina Moon,… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
America in the 1800s isn't quite the historical mystery hotbed as the same period in the country it bested in the War of Independence,… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
While every historical era has its unique appeal as a setting for tales of crime and detection, the 19th century is exceptional - it… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
After so many attempts to mount a musical version of 'Lolita,' the project was well and truly dead by the summer of 1971. Chief… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
My one criticism of Vertigo Crime to date is that it's been a boys' club, reveling in violence that, while entertainingly lurid, lacks depth.… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
My focus will always be crime, but it might not always be fiction, nor always for adults, nor books entirely in prose. That's a… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
First, a confession: I liked 'The Da Vinci Code.' This news is even more of a surprise to me than it might be to… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
Having set its tonal template, Vertigo Crime laid low for a few months before starting in earnest at the beginning of 2010. — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
'The Chill,' by Jason Starr and Mick Bertilorenzi, was both a wise and nervy choice to start the year: Starr's standalone novels, such as… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
The interior nature of 'Basic Black' is central to its unfolding. Shirley Kaszenbowski, regarded from the outside, is the embodiment of the invisible woman.… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
The 'Vampire of Ropraz' claims to be based on a true story, but the name of Rosa's father matches that of a notable Swiss… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
In the summer of 1997, a little more than half a lifetime ago, I got my first proper summer job. The job, with one… — Sarah Weinman Copy Share Image
