firstCLUE reviews new, traditionally published crime fiction for adults as far ahead of their U.S. publication date as possible (usually at least six months in advance). There is no charge for a review and firstCLUE is free to subscribers. We don’t cover books that are already published or self-published. Books previously published abroad are eligible if they are being released in the United States for the first time and have a U.S. distributor.
Works are selected for their potential interest to readers of crime fiction, to librarians for their library’s collections, and to booksellers for retail sales. We also lean toward covering books by underrepresented authors, especially LGBTQ+ authors and authors of color, and debut authors. firstCLUE only runs positive reviews.
Review copies (preferably e-galleys, though we consider print too) should be received at least six months prior to publication.
Review Submissions
Submission does not guarantee review.
E-Galleys
We prefer to access titles from Edelweiss and NetGalley. We generally cover books we find ourselves on those sources, but publishers and authors are also welcome to make us aware of their listings on those sites and/or to send us widgets to their Edelweiss and NetGalley pages. Please send book details and any widgets to info@firstcluereviews.com
We can also receive PDFs of galleys’at info@firstcluereviews.com.
Physical Copies
Please contact info@firstcluereviews.com for our mailing address.
Author Interviews and Q&As
To pitch an author for coverage in firstCLUE, please contact info@firstcluereviews.com. Any authors we interview have books that meet the review guidelines above.