The following books were generously provided to the judges of the Eighth Annual International Crime Fiction Association Book Prize for non-fiction books on crime fiction published in 2025. All books reviewed were worthy entries in the contest, and the range and creativity of the volumes attest to the deep interest in crime fiction scholarship.
The following books were generously provided to the judges of the Eighth Annual International Crime Fiction Association Book Prize for non-fiction books on crime fiction published in 2025, listed in alphabetical order by author/editor. The range and creativity of the volumes attest to the deep interest in crime fiction scholarship and its truly international reach. Please consider ordering some for yourself or your libraries!
Ashman, Nathan. Crime Fiction and Ecology: From the Local to the Global. Cambridge.
Barnes, Charlotte. Reading Ann Rule: Landmarks in True Crime. Palgrave Macmillan.
Beyer, Charlotte. Crime Fiction in the Age of #MeToo. Anthem Press.
Birns, Margaret Boe and Nicholas Birns. Agatha Christie Under the Magnifying Glass: Close Readings of 12 Novels. McFarland.
Boucher, Abigail, et al. Crime Fiction and Missing Persons Appeals to the Public. Palgrave Macmillan.
Burke, Eva. and Jennifer Schnabel. Reassessing Murder, She Wrote: The Afterlives of a Popular Culture Phenomenon. Routledge.
Dalrympe, Roger, and Andrew Green. The Idea of Education in Golden Age Detective Fiction, Routledge.
Fromm, Devin G. Detective Fiction on the Case of Community: The Mystery at the Heart of the Modern. Routledge.
Giza, Jaroslaw. Traces of Gothic Fiction in Scandinavian Crime Fiction: A Study of Jo Nesbø’s Oslo Trilogy. Akademia Nauk Stosowanych w Nowym Sączu.
Harkup, Kathryn. V is for Venom: Agatha Christie's Chemicals of Death. Bloomsbury.
Huh, Jinny. Bloodlines: Adoption, Crime, and the Search for Belonging. Cambridge.
Josephy, Rebecca. Magic, Magicians and Detective Fiction: Essays on Intersecting Modes of Mystery. McFarland.
Kniesche, Thomas W. Investigating Crime in a Time of War: Historical Crime Fiction and the Representation of Fascism. Palgrave Macmillan.
Kushins, C. M. Cooler than Cool: The Life and Work of Elmore Leonard. Mariner Books.
Latimer, Elspeth. Writing the Detectives: Character and the Series Form. Cambridge.
Magistrale, Tony, et al. King Noir: the crime fiction of Stephen King. UP of Mississippi.
Plain, Gill. Agatha Christie: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford.
Sandberg, Eric. Crime Fiction and the Holocaust. Palgrave Macmillan.
Serafini, Stefano. Italian Crime Fiction Revisited: Authority, Detection, and the Supernatural, 1861-1941. Palgrave Macmillan.
Takeuchi, Yasuhiro. Poe's Perfect Crimes: Hidden Plots in the Dupin Stories and Others. McFarland.
Tocco, Fabricio. Precarious Secrets: A History of the Political Thriller in Latin America. University of Texas Press.
Younes, Katrina. The Ecology of American Noir. Routledge
The short list, in alphabetical order by author:
Ashman, Nathan. Crime Fiction and Ecology: From the Local to the Global.
Burke, Eva. and Jennifer Schnabel. Reassessing Murder, She Wrote: The Afterlives of a Popular Culture Phenomenon.
Giza, Jaroslaw. Traces of Gothic Fiction in Scandinavian Crime Fiction: A Study of Jo Nesbø’s Oslo Trilogy.
Huh, Jinny. Bloodlines: Adoption, Crime, and the Search for Belonging.
Kniesche, Thomas W. Investigating Crime in a Time of War: Historical Crime Fiction and the Representation of Fascism.
Magistrale, Tony, et al. King Noir: the crime fiction of Stephen King.
Sandberg, Eric. Crime Fiction and the Holocaust.
Younes, Katrina. The Ecology of American Noir.
We are pleased to announce that the winner is...
Burke, Eva. and Jennifer Schnabel. Reassessing Murder, She Wrote: The Afterlives of a Popular Culture Phenomenon.
First runner up is...
Younes, Katrina. The Ecology of American Noir.
Second runner up is...
Magistrale, Tony, et al. King Noir: the crime fiction of Stephen King.
Very Honourable mention,
Sandberg, Eric. Crime Fiction and the Holocaust, because, as one judge stated, “it is such an important and brave subject.”
Congratulations to all the authors and editors of these outstanding volumes of crime fiction scholarship.
University of Scranton
Scranton, Pennsylvania, United States
Otto-Friedrich Universität
Bamberg, Germany
Falmouth University
Falmouth, England
