Criminal Types

This week, Abby sits down with producer Pat for a summer check-in while we’re in between seasons of Criminal Types! Abby and Pat talk about Abby’s recent move to Houston (plus a local Houston bookstore you need to visit if you’re ever in the area), share recommendations for summer reads worth adding to your to-read list, and talk about the horror movies Abby is watching (and re-watching) this summer.

Go behind the scenes of publishing the crime books we all love to read in this bonus episode! Today Abby sits down with Jennifer Barth, Senior Vice President and Executive Editor at Knopf, for a discussion of Jennifer’s career, the crime books that got her hooked on the genre, and some of the amazing crime fiction and true crime authors Jennifer has edited. Abby and Jennifer talk plot twists, crime TV shows versus crime books, upcoming releases, and lots more.

Jo Nesbø is a New York Times bestselling writer whose books have sold over 55 million copies around the world. In today’s episode, Abby sits down with Jo while he’s on book tour in New York for a discussion of Jo’s crime writing career, the recurring character who has become a hallmark of Jo’s crime novels, the Scandinavian crime writing tradition, and much more. In Jo’s latest thriller KILLING MOON, Jo’s beloved series lead Harry Hole returns to Oslo to track down a serial killer targeting women with ties to a local real estate magnate.

In today’s episode, Abby sits down with author Clémence Michallon, whose debut thriller THE QUIET TENANT tells the story of a serial killer through the perspectives of three women in his life: his daughter, his new girlfriend, and the woman he has been keeping captive in his garden shed. Abby and Clémence talk about serial killers (and why so many of us can’t get enough serial killer stories), the world of true crime, and how Clémence’s background in journalism influenced her approach to writing crime fiction.

Riley Sager is the New York Times bestselling author of thrillers including Final Girls, Home Before Dark, and Survive the Night. In his latest thriller THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE, an actress trying to escape a streak of bad press seeks refuge at her family’s remote lake house in Vermont. But things take a dark and dangerous turn when one of her neighbors vanishes without a trace. THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE turns a seemingly-familiar thriller premise on its head, delivering Riley’s twistiest and most shocking thriller yet. In today’s episode, Abby and Riley talk about their shared love of slasher movies, the influence of Hitchcock on Riley’s latest release, the path that led Riley into his crime writing career, and more!

Amanda Jayatissa is the award-winning author of My Sweet Girl (one of Abby's favorite suspense debuts of all time!). In Amanda's new novel YOU'RE INVITED, a lavish Sri Lankan wedding turns deadly... and everyone in the wedding party is a suspect. This week, Abby sits down with Amanda to discuss influencer culture and writing crime fiction in the age of social media, why friendship breakups don't get the consideration they deserve, and the many ways that a wedding can provide the perfect backdrop for a murder mystery.

This week, Abby speaks with Simone St. James, the New York times bestselling author of The Sun Down Motel, The Broken Girls, and The Haunting of Maddy Clare. Abby and Simone talk about amateur sleuths solving crimes, the supernatural and how it appears in Simone's writing, and the real-world female serial killers who influenced the way Simone chose to write the villain of her latest chilling novel, THE BOOK OF COLD CASES--a story about a true crime blogger who gets more than she bargained for when she sets out to interview a woman acquitted of two cold case slayings.

CJ Tudor is the award-winning author of chilling thrillers including The Chalk Man and The Burning Girls. Her newest book THE DRIFT is a gripping story of catastrophe and survival, following three ordinary people risking it all for a chance at redemption. In today’s episode, Abby talks with CJ about writing books that blur genre boundaries, their mutual love of My Chemical Romance, and the influence of both Agatha Christie and Stephen King on her post-apocalyptic new thriller THE DRIFT.

Lisa Gardner is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 20 suspense novels. Her latest is ONE STEP TOO FAR, a chilling thriller about a young man gone missing in the wilderness of Wyoming…and the secrets uncovered by the desperate effort to find him. In this episode Abby talks to Lisa Gardner about visiting the Tennessee body farm, how her fascination with real-world research has informed her crime writing, the surprising reality of disappearances at national parks across the US, and writing missing persons mysteries.

Isabel Cañas is the author of THE HACIENDA, a debut supernatural suspense novel—set in the aftermath of the Mexican War of Independence—about a remote house, a sinister haunting, and the woman pulled into their clutches. On today's episode Abby and Isabel discuss growing up in a possibly-haunted house, the influence of Gothic literature on her writing, and balancing elements of romance and horror in her fiction.