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Knopf + Penguin Random House

Crime fiction super fan and host Abby Endler talks to the authors behind the crime stories you can’t put down.

Criminal Types

Obsessed with crime stories? So are we. From serial killers to legal thrillers, haunted houses to murder mysteries, Criminal Types digs into the real-world cases, research, and obsessions that keep your favorite crime writers up at night. From household names to authors you’ll hear about here for the first time, join us as we go behind the scenes to find out how the plot gets twisted. 

When she was a child, host Abby Endler found her mom’s old collection of Nancy Drew books hiding in a dusty attic. She has been hooked on crime fiction ever since. She is a Senior Publicist at Penguin Random House and creator of @crimebythebook, the largest crime fiction-dedicated Instagram account in the United States.

Our first episode drops on Tuesday May 2 with special guest John Grisham!

Trailer for the new series CRIMINAL TYPES!

On our very first episode Abby is joined by legendary author John Grisham, who is the author of over 30 novels such as THE FIRM, THE CLIENT, and A TIME TO KILL. His latest thriller THE BOYS FROM BILOXI is set against the backdrop of Biloxi's dark underbelly, where vice is controlled by small cabal of mobsters, many of them rumored to be members of the Dixie Mafia.

In this conversation John Grisham discusses his career, his background in law and his work with The Innocence Project, and how Hollywood's early interest in his novel THE FIRM helped that book—and his writing career—take off.

Plus Abby Endler discusses her history with crime fiction and just why it's the only genre for her. Enjoy!

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/709301/the-boys-from-biloxi-by-john-grisham/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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John Grisham on how the Dixie Mafia factors into his new thriller THE BOYS FROM BILOXI

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.

Plus we play America's favorite gameshow STUMP THE ABBY, in which Abby gives some great recommendations for spooky thrillers.

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/676676/the-hacienda-by-isabel-canas/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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Isabel Cañas on the unexpected intersection of witchcraft and organized religion in THE HACIENDA

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.

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/673510/one-step-too-far-by-lisa-gardner/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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Lisa Gardner on a visit to the body farm, the surprising reality of disappearances at U.S. national parks, and her latest thriller ONE STEP TOO FAR

CJ Tudor is the award-winning author of chilling thrillers including THE CHALK MANand 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.

 

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671523/the-drift-by-c-j-tudor/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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CJ Tudor on Agatha Christie, horror, and writing about the apocalypse

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.

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/576768/the-book-of-cold-cases-by-simone-st-james/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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Simone St. James on female serial killers, ghost stories, and her latest chiller THE BOOK OF COLD CASES

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. 

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/670364/youre-invited-by-amanda-jayatissa/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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Amanda Jayatissa on friendship breakups, social media influencers, and her wedding-gone-wrong thriller YOU'RE INVITED

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!

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/646707/the-house-across-the-lake-by-riley-sager/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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Riley Sager on slashers, Hitchcock, and his twistiest thriller yet, THE HOUSE ACROSS THE LAKE

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.

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/705718/the-quiet-tenant-by-clemence-michallon/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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Clémence Michallon on serial killers, true crime, and her debut thriller THE QUIET TENANT

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.

For more on this book: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/723940/killing-moon-by-jo-nesbo/

For more on the podcast: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/articles/criminal-types-podcast/

Enjoyed CRIMINAL TYPES? Check out other podcasts from Penguin Random House:

Books Connect Us: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/books-connect-us/id1059532301

The Taste Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/taste/id1393739959

Marlon & Jake Read Dead People: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/marlon-and-jake-read-dead-people/id1492163935

Host: Abby Endler - Follow Abby at Crime By The Book
Producer: Pat Stango
Editor: Clayton Gumbert
Music: Shearwater

Criminal Types is a co-production of Penguin Random House Media + Knopf Publishing

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Lisa Gardner on a visit to the body farm, the surprising reality of disappearances at U.S. national parks, and her latest thriller ONE STEP TOO FAR

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