Crime books

Ian Rankin's Inspector Rebus series is keeping DH hooked currently. Not my genre though.

I have recently finished I Am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes. My DS had been nagging me for months to read it - now my DH is reading it too. It is a crime/thriller, totally riveting, edge of the seat stuff, with lots of seemingly diverse threads that all gradually get tied in. I can't recommend it enough - it is a huge tome, over 900 pages, but it is SO worth it.

I saw a book prominently displayed in Waterstones which looked intriguing. The Ashes of London by Andrew Taylor. Having not heard of the author I came home and did a bit of digging. He has written several crime books set in various historical periods and has had some very good reviews, not that you can always judge by those. This one is set at the time of the Great Fire of London. (No detective skills needed there!) Anyway, being tight-fisted I have opted to request The Ashes of London from the library. Only coste 50p and it is there now waiting for me to pick up tomorrow. I'll be back when I have read it.

It has 4.5 stars on Amazon, with nearly 5000 reviews so far!

Sorry, that last comment referred to I Am Pilgrim

Indinana, my DH and DD1 both read and loved I am Pilgrim whereas I couldn't get into it. The is a sequel due out this year.

Apart from well known crime writers such as Peter May, Anne Cleeves, Ruth Rendell/Barbara Vine a stand out book I read recently was "Lie With Me" a tale of a consummate liar hung by his own hubris, it had a Ruth Rendell quality about it, terrible title though as is "I Let You Go" very good with a great twist. Another I would recommend "Apple Tree Yard" about to be shown on TV. Finally you can't beat Queen of Crime Agatha Christie read them all years

Andrew Taylor is a great writer I've read The American Boy set in London in the 1820s about the fall of a bank, very topical and Bleeding Heart Square set in London in the 1930s against a backdrop of the rise of the Blackshirts both crime novels he is quite literary but very good reads and I quite fancy reading some more of his historical crime.

Great responses!

I'll try I am Pilgrim and work my way through other suggestions.

I've read everything Agatha Christie ever wrote years ago too, and loved them. Couldn't get into Rebus though. I enjoyed CJ Sanson (sp?) historical 'who dun its' which were recommended on the other thread. Let us know about the Ashes of London when you've read it.

Anyone else read Tana French incidentally?

Torquil McCleod (Scandi north of England) and Leslie Thomas the ghost Detective are two kindle series I have enjoyed. Both best read in order. I'm finding there is too much sadistic writing in crime especially in the Scandi stuff. An awful lot of people being tortured in cellars. I've started reading Georgette Heyer's crime stories. Nothing like the regency books I read in my teens.

I've been reading a series of books by Damien Boyd, the Nick Dixon series, set in Somerset.

Having noticed how popular the Jack Reacher books are I thought I'd give them a try, starting with the first. I gave up just a few chapters in as the graphic violence was too much for me.

For some light hearted crime fiction, how about the Agatha Raisin series?

Robert Goddard writes well-researched thrillers, each set in a different European city, with some true historical events as a theme.

A bit different I know but I've really enjoyed the Tarquin Hall books about an indian detective. These are light reading but very enjoyable. Also the 'Baby Ganesh detective agency ' books are worth a read for a change from the more usual crime novels.
I sometimes wonder why there is so much interest in crime. Books and TV programmes. I suppose there is something about solving puzzles to it plus some human interest.
Kate Atkinsons Jackson Brodie books are vg but then she doesn't write duds!

Joy Ellis
Martin Edwards
LL Bartlett (USA writer) Murder on the mind free on Kindle
Celina Grace
Tess Gerritsen
Sharon Bolton

I buy all my books on Kindle

I'm loving all these!

Can't stand the over-gruesome, type of crime book. Like a good mystery where great detective work gets there in the end, but must be well written too.

I dislike crime novels with gratuitous violence in too. Forgot to add Lin Anderson and Simon Brett.

I love the books by Quentin Jardine- the Skinner series but to enjoy them they must be read in order, mainly because of their personal lives, marriage, divorce etc. Difficult to keep up if one has not started at the beginning.

I also love books by Michael Connolly, The Lincoln Lawyer I think is my favourite to date.

Another strong recommendation is Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham. Again, edge of the seat writing. I keep meaning to get round to reading others by him, but I have 40 unread books on my Kindle, so I'm trying to resist buying more until I've at least ploughed through the majority of these!

Tim Weaver's crime books can be quite good his David Raker specialises in missing persons I went off a couple of his books too gratuitously violent also don't like victims chained in cellar type themes. His last one Broken Heart was very good though. I think it's fair to say most writers produce a dud or two during their career. Agree with Anya though couldn't get into Rebus

A sequel to I am Pilgrim ....yippee,cant wait

love Jo Nesbo - he always weaves an interesting story into the plot, am currently reading the Robert Galbraith books (JK Rowling) and they are good too so far

Mark Billingham, is excellent, Tess Gerittsen,

Having worked as a librarian in a b category male prison for nine years ( up to 2009 ) I know of some good 'gritty ' authors for the crime genre. Try Martina Cole, Mandasue Heller, Roberta Kray, June Hampson, Sheila Quigley all titles set in the UK if thats your thing.