If I like Rendell, Vine.....

I like the Sophie Hannah books she writes in the style of Agatha Christie with Poirot as the detective. They are " Clsed Casket " and 'The Monogram Murders." I could believe Agatha Christie had written them .

Hi gettingonabit

If you are a crime fan, and are in S Wales, you might want to consider coming to the Bristol Crime Fest. I do some work with the organisers (graphic stuff) and have always enjoyed the panels, discussions and the gala dinner! In years past I've sat with Elly Griffiths, Kate Ellis and Sophie Hannah at the dinner. It's really fun and worth saving up for. Check out the authors who attend. They sell books there, too, so it's nice to get signed copies if you collect books in print.

We also had PD James just a year or so before she passed away...what a cracker she was!

www.crimefest.com/ It's on the 18-21 May in 2017 The ticket price does not include the Gala Dinner or accommodation.

If someone hasn't mentioned the Martin Edwards Lake District series, that's good as well. Imogen Robertson with her Gabriel Crowther and Harriet Westerman series, set in the 1700s is also excellent. Gabriel is an alchemist and sort of a Murdoch type, ahead of his time using science to solve crimes with Harriet, a friend and widow.

Reginald Hill - Dalziel and Pascoe
Best if you've never seen the TV series. It's very different and prevents you from forming your own picture... They're all on Kindle and best read in order.

Have you read the Dalziel and Pascoe books by Reginald Hill? Very well written and good plot lines. Best read in sequence. I have enjoyed all the Wallander books by Henning Mankell as well. The 'original' scandinavian crime book, 'Miss Smilla's Feeling For Snow' by Peter Hoeg, is one of my favourite books ever!

My favourite series is Sue Grafton's 'Alphabet' novels. I have the whole set from A to W and know my DGD has already bought X (don't know title) for my Chr.....s present. Don't know when the next one is due out, but I will be waiting! They centre around an American female private investigator, Kinsey Millhone, and are quite American in style (think Philip Marlowe). I also enjoy many of the authors already mentioned already, especially Val McDermid and Mark Billingham. Although my favourite genre is the thriller, I'm not averse to reading a good old historical 'bodice ripper'.

Lots of brilliant suggestions, I am also a Rendell/ P D James fan. At the moment I am reading American/Canadian Authors - Kathy Reichs, Karen Slaughter.

Also James Patterson, Martina Cole, I have found some new Authors (sorry can't remember names) through The Book People.

annsixty - I read Girl on a Train & loved it. I just have to have a good book on the go & several "in stock" for future reading. I do incidently love most genres except "Mills & Boon" type, Sci-Fi & Westerns. Love Historical Fiction as well

Nicci French (when writing with husband), Nicci Gerrard on her own. You will like them!

I loathe thrillers and murders. However if you want to read beautiful prose and masterly perception of human nature..do try Louise Erdrich...........a master class in fine writing.

I love Sophie Hannah books and also the Lacey Flint novels by Sharon (SJ) Bolton.

Clare Macintosh 'I Let You Go'

Val Mcdermid has written some series not at all bloodthirsty. One series is about a reporter I think and another about a PI set in Manchester. They are very light reading and she has also written some one-off books, not in a series at all. I do not have titles to hand.

Was intending to get a Stephen Booth from Amazon, but somehow ended up with Fat is a Feminist Issue! Hey ho..

I'm currently re-reading a Rendell, after going a bit off-piste on Philippa Gregory.

Read Girl on a Train, too, out of curiosity.

Val McDermid was the Chieftain at our Highland Games the other week, very sporting of her. She was very nice.

Sorry spelling is wrong should be Val McDermid . I agree Stell Rimington's books are great they should be wread in order like so many others . Sadly she seems to have stopped writing . I enjoyed her autobiography too .

The ex MI5 Boss Stella Rimington has written a great series of Spy books.Stephen Booths novels set in Derbyshire are fantastic.

I did not like Val McDermots early books because they were too brutal but her latest " Out of Bounds " is really good and not bloody at all .

Elrel Guy Fraser Sampson wrote long post dated version of a Mapp and Lucia book based on the series by the wonderful EF Benson. He's certainly not the original writer of this brilliant series. Several other writers had a go at writing M&P books too. None can touch the originals. (Spot the EF Benson fan!)

Barbara Cleverley's books are good. She writes about a sort of irregular senior policeman. The various stories in the series are set in different countries. I enjoyed the Indian ones best but also the one set in France. If you like detective stories with good characters you'll enjoy these.
Of course Catriona McPherson's wonderful Dandy Gilver books are terrific too but I think I've already mentioned them before.

Oops! They were crime FICTION authors, sorry!

A Cold Day for Murder is currently free on kindle via Amazon

Came across two crime faction authors new to me at the weekend whose books look promising.
The Brief by Simon Michael
Set in '60s London with the protagonist a barrister specialising in criminal defence, as was the author.

Death in Profile by Guy Fraser-Sampson
'Comforting old school crime fiction with a modern twist' Chris Brookmyre
The author is known for his 'Mapp and Lucia' novels.

Once I start on a series I just have to go on to the next...and the next...The trouble is that many of them end in a cliffhanger and you just can't resist seeking out the sequel. One series, set in Alaska, is by Dana Stabenow, with the engaging heroine Kate Shugak. They need to be read in order, starting with 'A Cold Day for Murder'. I like them for their sense of place, the characters and the very interesting detail about Alaskan society. The next is due out any minute and can't come too soon because its predecessor ended in a breathtaking cliffhanger!

Google " W.H. Smith:-The Best Crime & Thriller Authors of All Time as Voted by You" to find what crime novel afficionados have actually chosen as their all time best reads. I did this when I 'ran out' of Rankins, Rendells and so on and it is how I discovered Peter May who is the list's most popular crime novelist and I have found some really good authors on the top twenty list. In fact I am working my way through them as and when I run out of charity bookshop finds.

Sophie Hannah is a gripping modern writer and I also recommend the Nicci French thrillers, especially the Frieda Klein series. Of the Scandi noir writers I loved Jo Nesbo, Henning Mankell and Stieg Larsson though there are many more. I agree with others that J.K. Rowling's detective novels are engaging, entertaining and well written.

Love Louise Penny and Inspector Gamache. Donna Leon is great. You could try Sophie Hannah- beautifully written, sometimes a bit difficult but very gripping.

Quintin Jardine books are excellent but should be read in order as it describes his life from a young copper to the higher echelons. His marriages also come into play- I love his books.