TapTheLine is an online magazine exploring crime fiction works and mainly focusing on the Continental interpretation of the genre in either movies and TV series or crime novels. Of course, there are a lot of non-European film/book reviews but the core of the magazine consists of the Euro-Noir works of art. There is a special interest on the Nordic noir genre, a relatively recent worldwide phenomenon which began with the novels by Henning Mankell and the late Stieg Larsson and became entrenched in the contemporary crime fiction universe through the works of authors such as Håkan Nesser, Arnaldur Indridason, Yrsa Sigurðardóttir, Jussi Adler-Olsen, Jo Nesbø, Lars Kepler and many others. Except for the crime novels, during the last decade or so, many films and television series produced in Scandinavian countries won the foreign audiences, the first being the legendary Forbrydelsen from Denmark and Bron/Broen a Swedish-Danish collaboration that established Nordic television productions as one of the strongest in Europe. This new genre also attracted a lot of scholar work that connected the many aspects of the books/movies/TV series with the socio-political reality in the Nordic countries. In this magazine, you will find features with the best reference books on the subject reviewed and rated as well as many lists offering recommendations for further reading.
My main objective is to offer a thorough picture of today's best crime fiction works, a sort of map that will help the visitor to navigate through the vast quantity of contemporary productions. I would furthermore wish to initiate my readers to the fascinating world of Scandinavian crime fiction (SCF) that never ceases to amaze with its quality and versatility. Nevertheless, TapTheLine is not strictly confined in the crime fiction genre's limitations and you will find book and film reviews that transcend those confinements such as literary fiction, horror fiction, true crime, reference, and others. There are even reviews of biographies or documentaries that were fascinating enough to make me write a comprehensive review about them. As I already mentioned above there will be also some features dedicated to the academic work on the subject like literary theory, genre theory, sociology of literature and culture, etc. Soon, you will able to read interviews from some of the best and most popular contemporary crime authors while, in time, there will also be some giveaways of sought-after books. I hope that you enjoy my endeavor and prove to be a useful guide for all those who demand more quality in what they see and read.
Personal Info
Hello and welcome to TapTheLine. I'm Dimitris the magazine's author, a 34-year-old crime and literary fiction aficionado living in Athens, Greece. I've studied Sociology in Panteion University of Athens and I did my post-grad studies in the University of Ioannina in the field of philosophy. My thesis was titled "The Ontology of Play in Heraclitus and Nietzsche", an exploration of the ambiguous concept of play in contemporary thinking. My academic interests range from political science to philosophy of language and semiotics. My studies helped me develop a critical way of thinking and also had a major impact on my way of writing and expressing my thoughts. It's always a pleasant surprise to read books of any genre that incorporate elements from the brave world of modern and ancient intellectual enterprise and more than often, I come across themes that transport me back to my University days. Nietzsche, Heraclitus, Foucault, Deleuze, and Derrida are some of the thinkers that have influenced me throughout the years of my reading.
My fascination with literary and crime fiction began a few years back when my sister-in-law, Mina, gave me The Snowman (Harry Hole #7) by Jo Nesbo as a birthday present. From then on I haven't ceased reading crime/mystery fiction and during that time I became particularly interested in Scandinavian crime fiction novels and films, the so-called Nordic Noir (sub)genre I've devoured a rather massive amount of relevant works of fiction and gradually I developed an equally strong interest in the academic/scholar work on the subject. Fortunately, there are plenty of university professors and lecturers who share their wisdom in several, scientifically valid, papers and articles. My greatest wish is to impart my enthusiasm and attract as many readers on, what I consider, as high quality works in the crime fiction genre. TapTheLine is a more Continental-oriented magazine and the majority of the reviews presented here concern the European crime fiction works, either novels or films and TV series. That doesn't mean that I'm negatively prejudiced against non-European crime fiction and here you will find many entries regarding non-European crime fiction and some features will be dedicated to the e.g. "American Film Noir in the 1950s" or similar topics.
I should also stress the importance of your feedback responses as through them we will gradually be able to initiate conversations and perhaps get some recommendations from you concerning the improvement of the magazine. I am open to any suggestions for future features etc. and I'm eagerly awaiting your comments. If you think it's worth it, subscribe to our list and stay tuned with all the updates. I welcome you again and truly hope that you enjoy TapTheLine.
My contact e-mail is lizardjims3@gmail.com