Literary crime fiction

Backwater by James Sallis

24 September, 2026

In his novel The Killer is Dying back in 2011, James Sallis considered how a life of crime comes to an end, among other things. Essentially, it looked at a hitman who was not just losing his touch, but slowly losing his battle with a…

Features

Three atmospheric indie crime novels from Canada

By crimefictionlover

15 September, 2026

When it comes to indie mystery novels, Canada is a country we really admire here at Crime Fiction Lover. Canadians keep their unique voice in the genre alive through dozens of small presses across the nation, in the face of unrelenting US and global corporate…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Post Mortem by David Lagercrantz

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

3 September, 2026

Translated by Ian Giles — Are you ready for a cold case mystery from Sweden? Professor Hans Rekke and police officer Micaela Vargas team up once again in Post Mortem, the third in Lagercrantz’s series featuring the unlikely duo, following Fatal Gambit (2024) and Dark…

Print Reviews

If the Owl Calls by Sharon White

By Sonja van der Westhuizen

8 December, 2025

American author Sharon White is known for her poetry, short stories and non fiction books, which have a calm, philosophical feel to them. She’s written one other novel but enters the crime fiction fray with If the Owl Calls. Set in Norway in 1979, it…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Estella's Fury by Barbara Havelocke

By Paul Burke

1 December, 2025

Not only are the works of Charles Dickens rich in atmosphere, they’re full of unusual characters that beg further exploration. PLEASE, SIR, CAN WE HAVE SOME MORE? Barbara Havelocke is an author who has heeded the call — and then some. Estella’s Fury follows on…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

By crimefictionlover

27 April, 2023

Help! I’m Wilder Harlow and I’m trapped in this review. Before that, my prison was more substantial and somewhat of a labyrinth, although perhaps telling you that Looking Glass Sound was like a prison is a white lie. My time in Catriona Ward‘s book depicts…

Kindle Print Reviews

Blown by the Same Wind by John Straley

By crimefictionlover

15 December, 2022

John Straley is both a criminal investigator and an award-winning crime novelist. His home is Alaska, he clearly loves the place, and he was the state’s writer laureate from 2006 to 2008. His fine storytelling and literary skills are on full burn in Blown by…

iBook Kindle Print Reviews

Ghost Country by Chris Petit

By Paul Burke

10 June, 2022

Chris Petit is a fascinating writer. His political novels are always personal stories but with a wider focus. Whether they’re the historical he’s known for or spy thrillers like Ghost Country, his books touch on the state of the nation. Sounds intense, even demanding, and…

Crime Fiction Lover

Backwater by James Sallis

Three atmospheric indie crime novels from Canada

Post Mortem by David Lagercrantz

If the Owl Calls by Sharon White

Estella's Fury by Barbara Havelocke

Looking Glass Sound by Catriona Ward

Blown by the Same Wind by John Straley

Ghost Country by Chris Petit

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