marguerite darlington

Friday Noir: I Love Trouble

mjdarlington — Fri, 17 May 2013 08:37:11 +0000

Crime and Temperature Are Related

mjdarlington — Thu, 16 May 2013 08:22:52 +0000

When the city heats up, so does the crime rate. To a point, that is. Writer Whet Moser investigates the relationship between crime and the weather in Chicago in this truly interesting article.

Gumshoe Tuesday: Top of the Lake

mjdarlington — Tue, 14 May 2013 08:00:54 +0000

It’s always good news when talented directors agree to do crime shows. I’ve been a fan of Jane Campion since the 1990s, and she did a great job with Top of the Lake. It’s a noir crime drama similar to The Killing, but one that focuses tightly on women’s issues and takes small town depravity to a whole new level. This series is not for children, not for the faint of heart, but haunting and truthful.

21st Century Bank Robbery

mjdarlington — Mon, 13 May 2013 08:49:33 +0000

Eight men stole $45 million from thousands of ATMs around New York City without entering a bank, menacing a teller, or pulling on a ski mask.

Read about the new style of bank robbery, a true 21st century crime, from The New York Times.

Can Repeat Offenders Change?

mjdarlington — Mon, 06 May 2013 08:12:42 +0000

It’s possible. How about someone who’s been arrested 396 times? She’s begging for parole, swearing that she will change and leave her life of crime behind.

Friday Noir: Marked Women

mjdarlington — Fri, 03 May 2013 08:07:29 +0000

This was the first noir film that I ever saw. One night when I was about nine years old, I couldn’t sleep and I turned on Marked Women with Humphrey Bogart and Betty Davis.

Couple Found Dead in Hotel Swimming Pool

mjdarlington — Thu, 02 May 2013 08:19:24 +0000

A true mystery in a luxury hotel in the UK. A man and a woman were found floating at the bottom of the hotel pool.

Gumshoe Tuesday: Lie to Me

mjdarlington — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:54:03 +0000

I’ve been a sucker for Tim Roth ever since he threatened to shoot up that diner in Pulp Fiction, so I’m not sure why I didn’t clue into this show earlier. It’s a private detective show with an unexpected scientific twist — Roth plays a deception expert who’s hired by law enforcement to tell whether or not suspects are lying. His office is so state-of-the-art that he’s have to be independently wealthy to maintain that as well, but, you know, it’s TV. Fun crime drama.

Ex Runs Over New Girlfriend

mjdarlington — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 08:58:55 +0000

Plenty of women have thought about committing a crime like this, but few lack impulse control to actually follow through. An Illinois woman ran over her ex-boyfriend’s new girlfriend with her car. Intentionally.

How to Craft a Compelling Mystery

mjdarlington — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 08:26:23 +0000

Last weekend at the LA Times Festival of Books, four mystery writers unveiled their techniques for crafting compelling crime fiction. This is a fantastic event, a huge book fair that takes over UCLA for a weekend filled with informative panels. Hopefully I can find something similar in Chicago.