Crime Fiction Lover

First look: Crime Scene issue 4

CrimeScene04_875_01Yes, issue four of Crime Scene magazine hits the shelves today. It’s the only glossy magazine we know of that’s devoted to the world of crime fiction and comes out quarterly. It’s £7.99 on the newsstand.

The latest issue is going full steam ahead with The Girl on the Train – the movie – with Emily Blunt playing the main role following on from the success of Paula Hawkins’ novel of the same name. It’s on the cover, as you can see, and inside the film takes up six pages with the article written by former editor Rosie Fletcher. She has moved on to pastures new but has been replaced by one of our own – Crime Fiction Lover’s contributor Andre Paine has taken over on the reigns as Crime Scene editor and we wish him luck there. He seems to have written half of what is a crime-packed 132-page magazine. You’re bound to enjoy it.

As with previous issues, crime TV takes centre stage with some case notes on an upcoming Lethal Weapon reboot, commentary on Peaky Blinders, a good-bye to Wallander along with two-page review of Branagh’s season four, an interview with Rowan ‘Maigret’ Atkinson, a fun round-up of food detectives on the box, four pages on Anthony Horowitz’s iPlayer series New Blood… and loads more.

For fans of foreign crime series, the big feature this month is an impressive six-page piece talking to the Italian director Stefano Sollima, whose new movie Suburra follows his by-the-throat mafia TV series Gomorrah. Andre Paine has done an excellent job with this piece – possibly the most interesting thing in the mag. There’s more too for fans of Agatha Raisin on the telly, as well as the Breaking Bad spin-off Better Call Saul. Another thing to check out is the Hap and Leonard crime series on Amazon Prime, based on Joe R Lansdale’s famous pair, and Crime Scene is on the case, talking to Lansdale himself.

The number one attraction for readers will certainly be a six-page interview with Val McDermid, who talks about the crime writing community. There’s also a feature by Sharon Bolton early in the magazine, writing about women who are attracted to convicted killers. New crime author JS Law reveals his 10 favourite audiobooks (Salander tops the list) and there’s also a small but interesting interview with Noah Hawley, co-creator of the TV series Fargo, on his new novel Before the Fall.

A 21-page book reviews section rounds things off, starting with Stephen King’s new novel End of Watch, and also taking in Mark Billingham’s Die of Shame, Sarah Hilary’s Tastes Like Fear and Love You Dead by Peter James. Crime Fiction Lover is on hand with 10 see also reads so you should definitely check it out! But how…

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An excellent feature on film and TV director Stefano Sollima.


If you love reading, savour this interview with Tartan noir legend Val McDermid.


Never thought we’d see the day when Hap and Leonard appeared on the small screen, but it’s happened thanks to Joe R Lansdale and Amazon.


Wallander heads up the DVD reviews section – two pages on the final series to feature Kenneth Branagh as Henning Mankell’s detective.


The magazine could do with more fun features like this page of crime slang, though you will find a spread of swag (including a Heisenburg figurine), a handful of summer reads, and a (hopefully) not entirely serious appraisal of the old programme Due South.

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