20) City of Sinners by A A Dhand I've only read one of the Harry Virdee series by A A Dhand (Girl Zero) but I enjoyed it, and I enjoyed this one even more. We are back in Bradford, and this starts with a punch: a woman strung up with barbed wire in a bookshop in the… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 20: City of Sinners
Category: police procedural
Year 5 / Book 14: Shroud for a Nightingale
14) Shroud for a Nightingale by PD James PD James is a wonderful writer, often underrated and forgotten these days, but the quality of the writing in her Adam Dalgliesh crime novels is wonderful. Which is why I dived into this for some escapism from a coronavirus world - wrong move! Firstly, the hospital where this… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 14: Shroud for a Nightingale
Year 5 / Book 12: After You Die
13) After You Die by Eva Dolan I'm a great fan of Eva Dolan's Zigic & Ferreira series of police procedurals (you can read my review of the previous episode here: Tell No Tales), and much enjoyed the first two I'd ploughed through. This third installment starts pretty bleakly: a woman is found murdered, and… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 12: After You Die
Year 5 / Book 9: Dark Sacred Night
9) Dark Sacred Night by Michael Connelly Michael Connelly has been at this game for a long time - with Harry Bosch, Micky Haller (the Lincoln Lawyer) and now Reneé Ballard as his well-known leading characters. I haven't read one for a while but this felt like a decent return to form. It brings together… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 9: Dark Sacred Night
Year 5 / Book 8: The Skeleton Road
8) The Skeleton Road by Val McDermid Val McDermid is best known for her Tony Hill & Carol Jordan series, but as I mentioned in my review of A Darker Domain last year, I've always preferred those featuring Karen Pirie - who has always felt to me like a more grounded and rounded protagonist; and… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 8: The Skeleton Road
Year 5 / Book 6: Uniform Justice
6) Uniform Justice by Donna Leon Here is the requisite Brunetti novel for this year's reading. Without looking back, I think I've almost certainly described how opening a Donna Leon novel on holiday is the literary equivalent of donning some slippers in front of an open fire: comfortable, relaxing and makes you feel completely at ease.… Continue reading Year 5 / Book 6: Uniform Justice
Year 4 / Book 49: Black Dahlia, Red Rose
49) Black Dahlia, Red Rose by Piu Eatwell The 'Black Dahlia' was the name given to Elizabeth Short, a young woman killed in Los Angeles in early 1947, and has since been made famous by authors like James Ellroy (who wrote a fictional book with that title) and by countless people still trying to solve… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 49: Black Dahlia, Red Rose
Year 4 / Book 44: The Katharina Code
44) The Katharina Code by Jorn Lier Horst I've read quite a few of Horst's 'Wisting' novels, and I've liked his more gentle, cerebral, character-driven approach to Scandi crime for a while - generally, not understanding why he doesn't get as much attention as some of the others. But he does seem to be breaking through,… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 44: The Katharina Code
Year 4 / Book 43: The Secret Place
43) The Secret Place by Tana French Tana French is widely feted in the crime-writing world, but I didn't really get on that well with the previous book I read by her (Broken Harbour) and have subsequently avoided her, despite myriad positive reviews from all directions. So finally I succumbed to The Secret Place and, whaddyaknow, it… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 43: The Secret Place
Year 4 / Book 40: A Darker Domain
40) A Darker Domain by Val McDermid Val McDermid is probably best known for her Tony Hill & Carol Jordan books, but I think I prefer Karen Pirie, the independent, funny female detective who features again here in A Darker Domain. It is her character and believability which drives forward this complex and at times… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 40: A Darker Domain
