British Crime novels

Peter Lovesey who writes the Peter Diamond books. Brilliant. Best read in order.

Has anyone read the new Simon Serailleur novel( Susan Hill) published this month please?

Nicci French, especially the Frieda Klein series (which should be read in order, if poss.)

Aurelio Zen series by Michael Dibdin - set in Italy

The main character in each series has a back story which is why it's better to read them in order.

Some great recommendations here.

Try Mel Sherratt’s books set around Stoke on Trent, also John Harvey’s books which are set around Nottingham and Cambridgeshire. I like the Benjamin Black books (aka John banville) too set in Dublin

I love the Serailler series momb but waiting for the price to come down as I don't like ebooks.

I am too sodapop! I have noticed one second hand one on e bay so I may bid for that.

I have just finished the latest Serailler novel mumofmadboys. Was rather disappointed; didn’t seem to get going. I felt it was a ‘bridging’ novel heralding a future change for some of the characters. Don’t want to say too much and give the plot away! Was good to meet up with Simon and his family though.

For a bit of light reading I like M.C.Beaton's Agatha Raisin books. I love J.K.Rowling's Strike books although they may be a bit graphic for some people.

Martha Grimes, american writer but set in england, titles are pub names. Richard Jury's the detective. Quirky.If you haven't read the Rebus books (Ian Rankin) lucky you I wish I hadn't and could read them all for the first time! Alexander Mcall Smith does a Glasgow series as well as the Ladies detective agency. The late Reg Hill. Kate Atkinson, Denise Mina.

Christobel Kent’s ‘Sandro Cilini’ series

I have just finished reading The Cut by Chris Brookmyre and it is excellent. He is one of my favourite authors.

From time to time I re-read Clare Francis.

NanKate

Thank you eGJ Jumblygran and Lillian40 for your suggestions from months back !

Have any of you read the Railway Mysteries by Edward Marston ? I realise they may be a light read but that’s what I want sometimes.

Yes I may try reading the Moonstone again I loved it when I read it 50 odd years ago.

NanKate I thought the Edward Marston books were alright,
But a better author ( same subject and time) is Andrew Martin.
All his books ( I have them all) bar his very first novel, are well written and capture the time and place perfectly.
Not all set on English railways, in fact his best one is set in France during the Great War, and another in Iraq also India.
Starting in late Victorian times and going up to the 1920’s.

What about C J Sansom, he writes historical murder mysteries, can’t remember the titles though.

Thanks Lemongrove I will check out Andrew Martin.

GrannyOwl5

I have just finished the latest Serailler novel mumofmadboys. Was rather disappointed; didn’t seem to get going. I felt it was a ‘bridging’ novel heralding a future change for some of the characters. Don’t want to say too much and give the plot away! Was good to meet up with Simon and his family though.

I’ve just read it. I like GrannyOwl’s review.

I think the problem with Simon Serailler is that at his level he would be managing a big team, not wandering around doing random investigations. I love her writing and enjoy the characters, but it really lost credibility for me in the book where they sent him undercover in prison. Firstly he stood a good chance of being recognised and secondly, a DCS hadn't got anything else to do?

I have just purchased the new Susan Hill second hand on Amazon or was it e bay -I forget!- should arrive soon!

C.J.Sansom wrote the Shardlake novels. They are crime stories set in the Tudor England of Henry X111. I really enjoyed them. You can almost ‘smell’ the atmosphere. Start with Dissolution which is about the dissolution of the monasteries (plus a murder!) and carry on from there.

Thanks muppett I couldn’t bring the name Shardlake to mind.Yes, they are excellent well written books.

I love the Shardlake books as well. Good to have a hero who is not tall dark and
handsome. CJ Sansom researches his books brilliantly, one of the few authors I can read more than once.

The Bill Slider series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. S.J. Parris’s books are very similar to C.J. Sansom’s and worth reading.