Features

CIS: Judge Dee, China's Sherlock

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The story of how Dutch diplomat Robert van Gulik came to write the 16 murder mysteries featuring legendary Tang Dynasty jurist Dee Jen-djieh – AKA Judge Dee – is almost as fascinating as the novels themselves. Van Gulik (1910-1967) took an early academic interest in…
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Features

Interview: Michael Koryta

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Having a new book published is an anxious time for any writer, no matter how experienced. But when Stephen King said ‘You can’t put this baby down’ Michael Koryta’s new release, Last Words, that must have soothed some of the worry. A series of suspense novels including…
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Features

A gazetteer of British crime: Scotland

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A sense of place is one of those vital ingredients which can be crucial in a crime fiction novel. Maigret’s rainy Paris suburbs, Marlowe’s neon-lit LA, Harry Hole’s snowy Oslo streets – the locations are inseparable from the characters. Here in Britain we have our own…
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Features

Interview: Kati Hiekkapelto

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Scandinavian crime fiction carries on booming, but the Finns are settled there just on the edge. As a people, lots of them don’t associate themselves with the rest of Scandinavia (though lots do). In terms of crime fiction, there haven’t really been any breakout superstars from…
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