In Reference to Murder

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Produucer Edward R. Pressman (Wall Street, American Psycho) has optioned feature film rights to debut author Ted Scofield's thriller novel Eat What You Kill (published just this past week by St. Martin's Press). The film is described as "a high-octane story that tests the limits to which one man will go for wealth and power in a world obsessed with luxury and excess."

British actress Miranda Hart is joining Paul Feig's untitled spy comedy for Fox. Already-signed fellow cast members include Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Jude Law and Jason Statham.

Director Susanna White has added Damien Lewis and Jeremy Northam to the cast for the adaptation of John le Carré’s 2010 novel Our Kind of Traitor.

Music Box Films has acquired U.S. film rights to Nadav Schirman's spy thriller The Green Prince, a real-life tale of one of Israel's prized intelligence sources, the son of a top Hamas leader.

Production on the upcoming Australian indie feature, Strangerland, began last week. The film stars Nicole Kidman and Joseph Fiennes in the mystery drama that follows a couple whose relationship is pushed to the brink when their two teenage children disappear into the remote Australian desert. Hugo Weaving is also in the cast, playing the policeman leading the investigation.

Screenwriter Oren Uziel (22 Jump Street) has been hired to pen Heist, a crime movie from DreamWorks to be directed by Scott Waugh.

Warner Brothers released a trailer for the action thriller Edge of Tomorrow, about an officer who has never seen a day of combat when he is sent on a suicide mission, killed within minutes, and then finds himself thrown into a time loop where he has to live out the same brutal combat over and over. (Hat tip to Omnimystery News.)

TELEVISION

Amazon TV announced it was picking up six original pilots for full 13-episode series, including Bosch, based on the Harry Bosch character and novels by Michael Connelly.

Two weeks after A&E pulled the plug on Chloe Sevigny cop drama Those Who Kill, the series will air its full run starting Sundays on the Lifetime Movie Network.

Although USA's series Psych has wrapped up its final episode, the producers left the door open for a possible future movie.

AMC announced its upfront slate for the rest of 2014 that includes the development of adventure/thriller dramas Area 51, Police State, Kingmakers, and Bombingham.

Carmine Giovinazzo (CSI: NY) and Jon Sklaroff (24) will appear in recurring roles on USA's police drama Graceland. Giovinazzo will play Sid Markham, the head of LAPD’s Gang Task Force, while Sklaroff will play a villainous human trafficker.

Francois Arnaud (The Borgias) will play the male lead opposite Maggie Q in the limited-run series Red Flag. The project is set in the early 1800s and centers on Ching Shih (Maggie Q), "a beautiful young Chinese prostitute who goes on to become one of history’s most powerful pirates and head one of the most successful crime syndicates in China."

Fans of Michelle Borth's character Cat on Hawaii Five-0 can be prepared to mourn: McGarrett's girlfriend won't be returning for the fifth season, and her last episode has Cat and McGarrett heading to the Middle East for an off-the-grid mission that "goes awry."

Law & Order and Vikings star Linus Roache will guest star on an episode of The Blacklist, playing a dangerous, influential man with political ties around the world who "manipulates democracy to his own ends and is an expert at political assassination."

Fox released another trailer for the upcoming 24: Live Another Day.

Magnolia Pictures acquired U.S. theatrical, VOD and home entertainment rights to Joe Berlinger's Whitey Bulger documentary, Whitey: The United States of America v. James J. Bulger.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO

On the latest Crime and Science Radio show, Jan Burke and D.P. Lyle discuss sex crimes with best-selling author Linda Fairstein.

Quote of the Day

FFB: Murder at the Foul Line

In honor of the NCAA tournament, I'm posting this FFB basketball-themed "classic."

In 2006, Otto Penzler released the anthology Murder at the Foul Line, with stories contributed by a Who's Who of crime fiction: Lawrence Block, Jeffery Deaver, Sue DeNymme, Brendan DuBois, Parnell Hall, Laurie R. King, Mike Lupica, Michael Malone, Joan H. Parker and Robert B. Parker, George Pelecanos, R. D. Rosen, S. J. Rozan, Justin Scott and Stephen Solomita.

Michael Malone's winningly deadpan "White Trash Noir," about domestic violence from a former NCAA star that seemingly drives his wife to murder, was nominated for the 2007 Edgar Award for best short story, but had to be withdrawn because it had been previously published in a collection by the author. There are other winners, though: Lawrence Block's hitman character Keller takes in a Pacers game in "Keller's Double Dribble," but the assignment doesn't go as planned and we get glimpses into Keller's past; "String Music" by George Pelecanos focuses on a streetwise D.C. kid trying to escape his troubled life by playing pickup basketball; Laurie R. King's "Cat's Paw" features the coach of a girl's junior high basketball team who is haunted by repressed memories and whose life is shaken up after she runs over a cat; and Jeffery Deaver's "Nothing But Net" is filled with Deaver's trademark twists and turns, featuring con men trying to swindle a naive NBA player.

Penzler would probably argue there's plenty more fodder for murderous takes on professional basketball. As he notes in his Introduction, "Perhaps the biggest difference in the game is the level of criminal activity. One of the big crime stories of the 1950s was when some Manhattan College, CCNY, and Long Island University players conspired to fix games so that certain gamblers could make a killing. The scandal rocked the sport for years, and those teams, then national powers, never recovered. Today, of course, that would be looked upon as kid stuff. Now we're really talking. Stars are commonly arrested for drug abuse, drunk driving, wife (and girlfriend) battering, barroom brawling, rape, and so many other acts of violence and criminality that it is difficult to keep track."

Murder at the Foul Line is the fifth installment in Penzler's sports mystery anthology series, so if you're not a fan of basketball, instead try Murderer's Row (baseball), Murder on the Ropes (boxing), Murder is My Racquet (tennis) and Sudden Death (football). I should point out that these books were published by the defunct New Millennium publishing arm, and that Penzler successfully sued the company claiming breach of contract. It's an unfortunate conclusion to what was originally an intriguing collaboration, but that doesn't change the fact the stories still stand on their own, with many sparkling three-pointers among them.

Mystery Melange

 

Book sculpture by Book Canvas

Strand Magazine announced the finalists for its Critics Awards and also named Peter Lovesey and R.L. Stine as the recipients of The Strand’s Lifetime Achievement Award for excellence in crime and thriller writing.  (Hat tip to Mystery Fanfare). Here are the nominees:

Best Novel:
• The Shining Girls, by Lauren Beukes  
• Solo, by William Boyd  
• Sandrine’s Case, by Thomas H. Cook  
• A Serpent’s Tooth, by Craig Johnson  
• Ratlines, by Stuart Neville  
• The Double, by George Pelecanos   

Best First Novel:
• Just What Kind of Mother Are You? by Paula Daly
• Ghostman, by Roger Hobbs  
• A Killing at Cotton Hill, by Terry Shames  
• Walking Into the Ocean, by David Whellams  
• Norwegian by Night, by Derek Miller  

The Left Coast Crime conference, which wrapped up this past weekend, handed out the "Leftie" Awards for best humorous, historical, U.S.-based and international mysteries.

If you happen to be in Edinburg on Saturday, April 12, reserve your free tickets to a panel discussion among some of the leading spy fiction writers of the present moment: Charles Cumming, Jeremy Duns, Dame Stella Rimington, and Tim Stevens. This is the culmination of Spy Week activities at the School of Literatures, Languages and Cultures, University of Edinburgh.

Noir Nation's latest edition for Kindle is the "Canada issue," with over 20 entries from some of the very best literary crime fiction writers in the international scene. If you don't have a Kindle, stay tuned: the print version is coming soon.

This week's featured crime poem at the 5-2 is "For Newtown" by Rachel Lynn McGuire. The pulp story of the week at Beat to a Pulp is "Para Bellum" by Kieran Shea.

J. Kingston Pierce has a timely article at Kirkus Reviews, focusing on eight of the best crime and thriller stories set in the former Soviet Union.

The New Yorker posted a slide show online of "American public libraries great and small featuring photos from The Public Library: A Photographic Essay by Robert Dawson (being released in April by Princeton Architectural Press.

A piece on Buzzfeed reimagines six Hardy Boys covers starring True Detectives characters from the HBO series.

The Q&A roundup this week includes Harlan Coben chatting with the New York Times about literary guilty pleasures and more; Jenny Milchman is interviewed by fellow author Cynthia Lott; and Jim Wilsky grills Paul D. Brazill.

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Warner Bros and RatPac Entertainment acquired Harlan Coben's upcoming new mystery novel Missing You in a preemptive screen rights deal. The book centers on an NYPD female detective sucked into an intricate scheme led by a calculating killer, after the detective sees a dating website photo of the ex-fiance who dumped her.

DreamWorks has tapped screenwriter Scott Silver to adapt Noble Assassin, an unpublished novel by Paul Kix, with Cary Fukunaga (True Detective) to direct. The war-time story follows French aristocrat-turned-anti-Nazi-saboteur Robert de la Rochefoucauld, who joined the British Special Operations Executive working with the French resistance before he was caught, tortured and escaped his own execution.

Director Clint Eastwood's American Sniper film project starring Bradley Cooper is enlisting some real-life Navy SEALs in the cast.

Fans of film noir should check out author Eddie Muller's listing of "25 Noir Films That Will Stand the Test of Time."

A new teaser poster and trailer were released by Fox for the mystery thriller The Maze Runner. (Hat tip Omnimystery News.)

TELEVISION

Via Omnimystery News: NBC gave early renewals to three dramas, including Grimm, Chicago Fire, and Chicago P.D.

The USA Network announced its drama White Collar will wrap up its run with a six-episode sixth and final season.

Adam Kaufman (Altered) will play the male lead on the NBC pilot State Of Affairs. The project stars Katherine Heigl (who also serves as producer) as a key CIA attaché who counsels the president on high-stakes incidents around the world. The producers also announced Alfre Woodard is on board to play the U.S. President.

Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Spartacus: War Of The Damned, Arrow, Vampire Diaries) has been cast as the female lead in the History Channel’s miniseries Texas Rising. The project follows the Texas Revolution against Mexico and the rise of the legendary Texas Rangers, with Robinson playing mythic historical figure "the Yellow Rose of Texas," who gets caught in a love triangle between Houston (Bill Paxton) and Santa Ana (Oliver Martinez).  

Katharine McPhee (Smash) will play the female lead in CBS' drama pilot Scorpion, about an eccentric genius (Elyes Gabel) and his international network of super-geniuses who are the last line of defense against the complex threats of the modern age.

Kim Dickens (Friday Night Lights) has signed on to star in in the CBS terrorist thriller drama pilot Red Zone opposite Anthony LaPaglia. Kevin Rahm (Mad Men) and Samantha Mathis (Under The Dome) have also been cast in the pilot, which is written by Nikki Toscano and directed by James Foley.

Mentalist star Amanda Righetti will guest star on both Chicago Fire and spin-off Chicago P.D., playing a pediatrician on both shows.

EuroCrime noted that the a new Nordic drama will debut in the UK More 4, beginning Friday March 28 at 9 pm. Titled Mammon, the six-episode series delves into the "murky underbelly of finance, politics and journalism," and centers on the uncompromising journalist Peter Verås who uncovers evidence of financial fraud involving Norway's elite.

CBS announced 2014 season finale dates for its programs, including various crime dramas.

A new trailer was released by FX Networks for the crime drama Fargo, an adaptation of the Academy Award-winning feature film.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO

On this week's Guardian books podcast, Tom Rob Smith heads for Sweden with his latest crime novel, and Marc Pastor investigates a killer in early 20th century Barcelona.

Appearing on CBS This Morning last week: Harlan Coben, discussing his latest novel Missing You.  

Minnesota Public Radio chatted with Sherlock composers David Arnold and Michael Price, gaining insight into how they joined the show and crafted such a unique soundscape.

Author/journalist Shane Gericke joined host Pam Stack for the Authors on the Air podcast.

The most recent Crime and Science Radio featured Jan Burke and DP Lyle interviewing John Lentini, who is one of the country's leading investigators of arsons.

THEATER

Olivier Award winner Benedict Cumberbatch (star of BBC's Sherlock), will play the title role in William Shakespeare's Hamlet at London's Barbican Theatre, with performances premiering in August 2015.

GAMES

Omnimystery News posted the new trailer for the supernatural detective thriller game Murdered: Soul Suspect, in which gamers must solve the hardest case of all...their own murder.

Quote of the Day

FFB: Nocturne by Ed McBain

This week's installment for Patti Abbott's Friday's "Forgotten" Books is from Ed McBain (1926-2005), the pen name of Salvatore Albert Lombino who later legally changed his name to Evan Hunter in 1952. The prolific output of McBain/Hunter included over 110 novels, which have sold more than one hundred million copies worldwide, as well as numerous short stories and collections and a few plays and screenplays. He was the first American author to receive the Diamond Dagger, the highest award given by the British Crime Writers Association. He was also a Mystery Writers of America Grand Master and an Edgar Award recipient for his 2002 novel Money, Money, Money.  
 
His greatest success came with his 87th Precinct series, which began in 1956 with Cop Hater, made into a film in 1958. The series also served as the basis for a television show in the early 1960s, starring Robert Lansing, Gena Rowlands, Norman Fell, Ron Harper and Gregory Walcott. The 87th Precinct books are set in New York City (going under the alias of Isola in the books) and pioneered many of the elements of police procedurals today such as using multiple plot lines and viewpoints and an ensemble cast.

The synopsis for Nocturne, from 1997: In Isola, the hours between midnight and dawn are usually a quiet time. But for 87th Precinct detectives Carella and Hawes, the murder of an old woman makes the wee hours anything but peaceful — especially when they learn she was one of the greatest concert pianists of the century long vanished. Meanwhile 88th Precinct cop Fat Ollie Weeks has his own early morning nightmare: he's on the trail of three prep school boys and a crack dealer who spent the evening carving up a hooker.

This is a McBain procedural romp on one hand, with the usual cast of characters, as well as members of the 88th precinct chasing down the killers. There are the touches of whimsy, such as the recurring in-joke involving references to The Birds, "that movie that Alfred Hitchcock wrote," prompting corrections from Detective Steve Carella that "I don't think Hitchcock actually WROTE that..." (Ed McBain, as Evan Hunter, actually did write the screenplay for The Birds.) But there is also more explicit violence and graphic sexual language than is usual even in these gritty novels. Still, it's a good introduction to the 87th and McBain's procedural prowess.

Mystery Melange

Book sculpture by Luciana Frigerio

Kelli Stanley and Lisa Brackmann are helping coordinate a "Noir at the Bar" event at the upcoming Left Coast Crime conference. They're taking over the hotel bar Thursday (tomorow) night in a flashmob event they're calling "Occupy: Noir!" Readers include Gary Phillips, Terry Shames, Darrell James, Holly West, Deborah J. Ledford and many more. If you're headed to the LCC, check them out.

The upcoming issue of Clues: A Journal of Detection features papers discussing the works of Irish author Tana French, including a contribution from Edgar nominee Maureen T. Reddy. Journal editor Elizabeth Foxwell also has a new call for papers on the topic of "Re-Evaluating Patricia Highsmith" (guest editor: Fiona Peters, Bath Spa Univerity in the UK). Article proposals are due by May 1.

The finalists for this year’s New Pulp Awards were announced last week. The winner will handed out March 23, during MidSouth Con in Memphis, Tennessee. (Hat tip to the Rap Sheet.)

The Library Journal's annual survey of public libraries in the U.S. found that libraries lent mysteries more than any other kind of book in 2013. Close to 95% of respondents reported it as one of their top five fiction loan choices. Also good to hear: every size library posted circulation gains, with a 2% increase overall.

Speaking of libraries, Forbes posted a slideshow of its choices for the "World's 20 Most Stunning Libraries."

SJ Parris recommended five of her favorite historical murder mysteries, from Josephine Tey to Matthew Pearl, for The Telegraph.

Glenn Harper, over at the International Noir Fiction blog, wrote about the "Swedish Agatha Christie," Maria Lang, the pen name of Dagmar Maria Lange. She may well be the founder of Scandinavian crime fiction (definitely one of the founders), and her works are getting new editions soon.

The featured story at Beat to a Pulp this week is the previously-unpublished "A Professional Job" by Walter Tyrer (1900-1978), a British writer who wrote in a wide variety of genre fiction. This week's crime poem over at the 5-2 is "The New Ireland" by Seamus Scanlon.

The Q&A roundup features the continuation of author Hank Phillippi Ryan's series of interviews with authors, with this week's guest, Kathy Lynn Emerson (Guest of Honor for the upcoming Malice Domestic conference); Chris Pavone chats with The Mystery People about his latest novel, The Accident; and DA Mishani gets grilled by fellow author Declan Burke.

Whither the Bookstore?

 

A new bookstore in Texas caught my eye the other day. The Wild Detectives in Dallas is a combination bookstore (a small, curated section of books) and cafe and bar. Or, as the article in the Dallas Observer notes, "you can order up a Lakewood Lager, pull out your beat-up copy of a Jonathan Lethem novel or T.S. Eliot poems and read in peace. An eclectic playlist softly fills the space, only interrupted by the occasional conversation or the hiss of the bartender steaming milk." It also hopes to be a hub for creative thought, perhaps hosting author talks or book clubs, which is something many indie bookstores are already doing today.

So I wonder if this is the new norm for indie bookstores? Combination shops as opposed to books-only (or primarily) stores? I think it sounds like fun, and the owners seem pleased with possibly breaking even, but I can't help but wonder if this is another sign of the demise of traditional bookstores or just the inevitable evolution. Even Barnes and Noble integrated coffee shops into its locations years ago and now sells an increasing amount of non-book items like toys, games and software.

Would a concept like The Wild Detectives make you more or less likely to visit a bookstore?

Media Murder for Monday

MOVIES

Jon Favreau is set to co-star in Universal's crime thriller Term Life, starring Vince Vaughn as a thief who plans and sells heists to the highest bidder. Vaughn's character is forced to take his estranged daughter (Hailee Steinfeld) on the lam when a job goes bad, and takes out a life insurance policy on her for her protection—but it doesn't take effect for 21 days.

Sienna Miller edged out Thor actress Jaimie Alexander to star opposite Bradley Cooper in Clint Eastwood's film adaptation American Sniper. The film is based on the American Sniper: The Autobiography of the Most Lethal Sniper in U.S. Military History by Chris Kyle, Scott McEwan and Jim DeFelice.

Ciaran Hinds has joined the cast of the thriller Agent 47, playing against villains Zachary Quinto (Star Trek) and Thomas Kretschmann (Stalingrad). Rupert Friend had earlier signed on to play the title character.

A trailer was released for Devil's Knot, headed to theaters in May. Based on Mara Leveritt's book Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three, the project is directed by Atom Egoyan and stars Reese Witherspoon, Colin Firth, Amy Ryan, Mireille Enos, Stephen Moyer, Alessandro Nivola and Dane DeHaan.

Indiewire posted a featurette that discusses the adaptation of Jose Saramago's thriller novel The Double into the movie showing currently, retitled Enemy. producer Niv Fichman, director Denis Villeneuve, screenwriter Javier Gullón, and actor Jake Gyllenhaal add their thoughts about the making of the film.

TELEVISION

Josh Duhamel is returning to television to star in Battle Creek, the CBS series written by Breaking Bad creator Vince Gilligan and House creator David Shore. The story follows Detective Russ Agnew (Dean Winters) and FBI agent Milton Chamberlain (Duhamel), two men with different worldviews who team up to fight crime in Battle Creek, Michigan.

Production company eOne is adapting Gloria Killian's true story about putting herself through law school while in prison and fighting a wrongful conviction for murder. Titled Inside Out, the project is based on Killian's book Full Circle: A True Story of Murder, Lies and Vindication (co-authored with Sandra Kobrin).

Anthony LaPaglia (Without a Trace) has landed a leading role in CBS' untitled terrorism drama (w/t Red Zone). The project centers on a retired CIA operative-turned-high school football coach pulled back into action after a terrorist event rocks Washington, D.C.

TNT announced the premiere dates for several of its summer shows, including the new sci-fi series Falling Skies; the apocalyptic The Last Ship; Legends, starring Sean Bean as an undercover FBI agent who may be losing his grip on reality; and the new crime drama, Murder in the First, from executive producer Steven Bochco. The network also announced show dates for returning series Rizzoli & Isles, Dallas and Franklin & Bash.

Crown Media Family Networks announced it's rebranding the Hallmark Movie Channel as Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, starting the fourth quarter of 2014. One of the cornerstones of the new lineup is the 'Mystery Wheel" feature that will launch in early 2015 with Garage Sale Mystery, a series of movies starring Lori Loughlin (When Calls the Heart, Full House). The second movie franchise in the "wheel" stars Dylan Neal (Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove) who will star in and executive produce The Gourmet Detective, based on the series of books by Peter King. The third film series in the Mystery Wheel is TBA.

Anne Heche is set to star opposite Jason Isaacs in USA six-episode event series Dig. Heche will play the head of Jerusalem's FBI office and Isaacs's boss and love interest. The plot hinges on the accidental discovery of a conspiracy 2,000 years in the making while investigating an archaeologist's murder.  

CBS announced the 18 shows it was renewing for fall in the U.S. markets, including NCIS, NCIS: Los Angeles, Person of Interest, CSI, Hawaii Five-0, Blue Bloods, Criminal Minds, Elementary, and The Good Wife. Not making the cut were The Mentalist and Intelligence, two shows that are on the bubble.

Andrea Bogart (General Hospital) has booked a recurring role on Showtime's Ray Donovan playing the wife of FBI agent Volcheck (Kip Pardue). The project centers around professional celebrity "fixer", Ray Donovan (Liev Schreiber).

Gillian Anderson and fellow cast members have begun filming the second series of BBC2's thriller The Fall. Gillians plays Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson who is on the trail of serial killer Paul Spector (Fifty Shades of Grey star Jamie Dornan).

CBS's Hawaii Five-0 is promoting Jorge Garcia (Lost) to a series regular. Garcia plays plays Jerry Ortega, a conspiracy theorist and high school classmate of Chin Ho Kelly.

Likewise, HBO has upped Nazanin Boniadi (playing a strong-willed Muslim CIA analyst) to a Homeland series regular.

NBC announced Josh Lucas is joining Debra Messing in the drama pilot The Mysteries of Laura. Lucas will play the soon-to-be-ex husband of Messing's titular female detective character.

NBC released a "first look" of Matt Ryan playing occult detective John Constantine in the upcoming series Constantine.

PODCASTS/VIDEO/RADIO

On CBS This Morning last week: Janet Evanovich, author of the Stephanie Plum series and co-author, along with Lee Goldberg, of The Heist.

Scottish author Denise Mina joined Craig Ferguson on The Late Late Show on CBS talking about the writing life, writer's conferences and her works, with a healthy dose of humor added in (her spot starts about 30:00 into the video).