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
Category: police procedural
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
Year 4 / Book 28: Rather Be The Devil
28) Rather Be The Devil by Ian Rankin It's been quite a while since I dipped my toe back into the world of Ian Rankin - and the fabulous creations of John Rebus, Siobhan Clarke and Malcolm Fox; as well as Rebus' criminal counterpoint, Big Ger Cafferty. This is another delve into the criminal underworld… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 28: Rather Be The Devil
Year 4 / Book 20: Girl Zero
20) Girl Zero by A A Dhand Back into police procedural land, and into the world of A A Dhand and his creation, Harry Virdee. The world in question is Bradford, which makes a refreshing change from London or, at a push, Edinburgh, where I often feel like most fictional crime in the UK seems… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 20: Girl Zero
Year 4 / Book 17: Dying Fall
17) Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths I've read quite a few books by Elly Griffiths over the last couple of years, and they are pretty uniformly entertaining. Whilst mildly undemanding on the whole, the main characters are what raises her books above the norm a little - Ruth Galloway is a forensic archaeologist and single… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 17: Dying Fall
Year 4 / Book 14: Tell No Tales
14) Tell No Tales by Eva Dolan I read Eva Dolan's first Zigic & Ferreira novel, Long Way Home, a while back and really loved it. First off, she's an excellent writer, with a great command of plot, narrative arc and character creation. Second, she's focused in on immigration, particularly East European immigrants, as the… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 14: Tell No Tales
Year 4 / Book 12: Love Like Blood
12) Love Like Blood by Mark Billingham Tom Thorne is one of the most celebrated and consistent detectives featuring in crime fiction today, and I've read (I think) all of the novels by Mark Billingham that feature him. This one had been on the Kindle for a while, and I felt like something light-ish after… Continue reading Year 4 / Book 12: Love Like Blood
Year 3 / Book 52: The Defenceless
52) The Defenceless by Kati Hiekkapelto Holidaying in Helsinki, and for my final book of Year 3 of Dogeared Man, I wanted to read a Finnish novel and remembered I had downloaded this many moons ago on to the Kindle. It’s the second novel by Hiekkapelto to feature Anna Fekete, a policewoman whose origins lie… Continue reading Year 3 / Book 52: The Defenceless
Dog-eared Man: a book a week 