What’s firstCLUE?

firstCLUE is a free weekly newsletter that reviews crime fiction months ahead of the books’ publication. Subscribe here to receive the newsletter. Reviews are published on this website two weeks later.

Are our reviews too far in advance? Then look for a special issue, on the first Wednesday of every month, that provides reviews of those books that are publishing that month.

At firstCLUE, we only review books we love, or at least like a whole lot. The idea is to provide librarians, booksellers, and other readers with advance information on great reads.

We will soon launch a database that will allow you to search our 500-plus reviews.

Who are we? Two experienced editors/librarians with a passion for crime fiction but different reading preferences—so we cover a lot of ground, from cozies to espionage.