Tag: book-review

  • Colin Dexter’s Oxford and Nora Kelly’s Cambridge (by Way of Cryptic Crosswords)

    I’ve just ordered a niche item, Colin Dexter’s Cracking Cryptic Crosswords. The late detective novelist, who spent his early career teaching Classics, was also a famed creator of crossword puzzles of a type that British audiences appreciate far more than American ones. A recent New Yorker piece describes how Wordle creator Josh Wardle has created…

  • Gone Girl: Gillian Flynn’s Genius (and Subsequent Silence)

    Rosamund Pike and Ben Affleck in “Gone Girl,” directed by David Fincher. Photo: Merrick Morton/20th Century Fox Gillian Flynn published three novels, culminating in the 2012 sensation Gone Girl. Since then–no more books. It’s a bit like Willy Wonka shutting down the chocolate factory. Sharp Objects, adapted as an acclaimed television series, is about Camille,…

  • International Women’s Day 2026: My Current Top 20 Canadian Women Crime Writers

    Most of my reading this week is about Medusa, for a project. Gratuitous photo, because she is everywhere: My list of 20 current favourite Canadian women crime writers, in no particular order, and their sub-genre/s: Amy Stuart: domestic suspense fiction set in urban and suburban areas, with a strong sense of woman-in-peril Louise Penny: what…