Look what just arrived. It’s the first issue of the new quarterly magazine, Crime Scene, complete with a severe-looking Benedict Cumberbatch on the glossy front cover. It’s on the newsstand now in the UK at £7.99, or you can buy a copy online here. It’s a packed issue, as you’ll see below, and three Crime Fiction Lover contributors have written articles for it which makes us feel great!
The main thrust seems to be the television coverage, with a whopping feature about Sherlock – including an episode guide – as well as an article about Columbo by Sherlock co-creator Steven Moffat. There’s an innovative look at how Scandinavian crime shows have been adapted in other regions of the planet, a tidy preview of River (the British show that stars Stellan Skarsgard) and an article all about Dexter by our very own Andre Paine. Plus, there are some case notes on characters in Ripper Street and let’s not forget a spread featuring the best of 80s American cop shows, or the 25 greatest TV detectives of all time – as voted for by you. Hard to believe, but Jonathan Creek made the list!
There’s a really interesting feature on the Museum of London’s new exhibition entitled Crime Museum.
Towards the back is where you’ll find the books, along with a significant interview with James Ellroy. Ostensibly he’s there to talk about LAPD ’53, a book of vintage photos of an emerging Los Angeles, its law enforcement and its crimes. However, journalist Matt Glasby makes the most of the opportunity to interrogate Ellroy about his days as a burglar, his mother’s murder, his reading and inspiration, 1960s conspiracy theories (The Cold Six Thousand)… and more. Ian Rankin’s Even Dogs in the Wild, Julia Haeberlin’s Black Eyed Susans and Denise Mina’s Blood Salt Water are some of the books that get full-page reviews.
Here are some other highlights in photos:
Have a gander at the contents page – full of the glories of crime!
Here’s that feature on US cop shows, only Moonlighting, Magnum PI, Murder She Wrote, Quincy and Crazy Like a Fox weren’t cop shows. But who’s counting? Check out our own feature on the best ever crime shows here.
Nice job getting an Ellroy interview, and a stylish opener for it too.
Hey, is that DeathBecomesHer‘s review of The Ice Twins. I think it is, you know.
Grab your copy of Crime Scene at MyFavouriteMagazines.com.
Has anyone picked up a copy? What did you think? Please let us know what you liked and didn’t like in the mag.
Picked up the magazine. Loved it. Especially the article about Columbo, one of my favourite tv detectives. Post Morton and the interview with James Ellory convinced me to take out a subscription. Roll on the next issue.
A lot of crime authors seem to like Columbo. When I asked Mark Billingham who his favourite TV detective was for an article I worked on for T3 magazine, he also picked Detective Columbo.