By Naomi

Last year was an excellent year for adaptations to the big or small screen. So many books were turned into shows or movies that we didn’t get a chance to highlight them all. Here are some crime fiction adaptations released in 2024 that we missed.

Cross

Based on the Alex Cross series written by James Patterson

This show managed to hook me in one of the opening scenes, where Alex Cross, a homicide detective and forensic psychologist whose wife has recently been murdered, interrogates a racist misogynist suspected of killing his girlfriend. He takes him down so expertly and elegantly that I had to keep watching. I did have to keep that scene in mind as the show progressed, because it does require some suspension of disbelief. Cross is in pursuit of a serial killer, while also trying to find his wife’s killer. Everything was immediately So. Dramatic. The stakes were super high in every episode, and the viewer is hit by plot twist after plot twist. Some I could see coming, some I definitely couldn’t.

While I haven’t read the books by James Patterson this series is based on, considering there are currently 33 entries into the series, I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the high drama is accurate. The TV series is very watchable and engaging and Aldis Hodge does an excellent job as Alex Cross, portraying him with much needed-depth to balance the tragedy of everything else that’s happening.

Tracker

Based on the Colter Shaw series by Jeffery Deaver

Tracker is a mystery-of-the-week TV series where Colter Shaw, a self-proclaimed “rewardist”, uses the skills he developed being raised by a survivalist father, to collect rewards people post to find missing loved ones. He travels all over the country, but he has a skilled team backing him up. Colter is extremely competent, and while his skill set seems a little far-fetched at times, the actor manages to portray it in such a way that it is completely logical that Colter knows how to do all that.

Tracker is a very entertaining show; the mysteries are compelling and appear to be loosely based on the books by Jeffery Deaver. The side characters bring a lovely found family vibe, and their presence makes the series feel more cohesive. Colter Shaw is not only highly competent but also a kind, compassionate character. Thanks to him, being a tracker doesn’t seem like such a solitary job, and also very rewarding (ha).

Three Pines

Based on the Chief Inspector Gamache series by Louise Penny

The books are decidedly more cozy than the TV series (so my mom tells me, having read them all). The show is set mostly in a small town in Québec, filled with secrets, and a large part of its premise is based on missing native Canadian girls and women. It portrays Canada’s fraught history with its indigenous peoples and how that is very much relevant today.

This miniseries contains four mysteries, each spanning two episodes, giving it enough time to really flesh out each mystery and delve into the characters (and highlight the gorgeous scenery). There’s an overarching plot to tie it all together, spanning all eight episodes. Chief Inspector Gamache, the main protagonist, is another competent, kind man who is really committed to the people he has to serve and protect. Beware that the show ends on a massive cliffhanger, and unfortunately the TV show has been canceled. You’ll just have to pick up the books to see how it all ends.

Conclave

Based on Conclave by Robert Harris

The movie Conclave recently won an Oscar for best adapted screenplay, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a quiet movie with a relatively simple plot, but highly engaging. The cinematography in particular is striking and kept my eyes glued to the screen the entire time. The movie takes place after the pope dies and Cardinal Lawrence has to organize the conclave to elect the next pope. He has to investigate the secrets and scandals about the candidates while they’re all sequestered.  Reviewers have said that the suspense is more palpable in the book than in the movie, however.

Supposedly cardinals watch the movie Conclave to get an idea of what the real-life conclave in 2025 would be like. Don’t quote me on that, though.