Alfred Hitchcock Breaks the Sound Barrier in Early Films ‘Blackmail’ and ‘Murder!’
Alfred Hitchcock’s motif of treacherous toying with filmgoers is intriguing to spot in his early thrillers, Blackmail and Murder!
suspense
Decisions and Crossroads in Jonathan Lethem’s ‘A Gambler’s Anatomy’
Saving face and facing a new life in the colorful times of a gambling backgammon master.
Matthew Weiner’s ‘Heather, the Totality’ Is Chillingly Empty
The Mad Men creator's debut novel has noir roots but plumbs his familiar territory of modernist anxiety with a savage precision.
‘Dinner at the Center of the Earth’ Is Chillingly Compelling
Dinner at the Center of the Earth shows there can be no balance in a world solely populated by avengers.
John le Carré’s ‘A Legacy of Spies’ Has That Old Dark Magic
A Legacy of Spies, John le Carré’s first George Smiley novel since 1990, finds the spymaster’s old henchman forced to excavate the details of a long-buried mission they both wish they could forget.
Horror-Thriller Film ‘Intruders’ Plays with the Home Invasion Genre
Director Adam Schindler’s home invasion film Intruders shows promise, but its’ lack of distinguishing features holds it back from being a better thriller.
Library of America Rethinks Women and the Hard Boiled Tradition in New Set of Women’s Crime Writing
This box set represents a nuanced perspective not only of the crime fiction genre, but of women's contributions to mid-century American culture.
Brian de Palma’s ‘Dressed to Kill’ Is Still Sexy, Still Shocking, Still Classic
Dressed to Kill doesn't address itself to every viewer, but for those who love horror and the tradition of suspense that de Palma so expertly participates in, it will always deliver.
‘The Best Offer’ Leaves the Gears of One’s Mind Turning
Nothing is ever quite as it seems in this dramatic tale of art, love, fear and deceit.