The 79-year-old Harvey has made it clear that Body & Soul is his last novel, and what an excellent farewell it is …. Elder and Resnick are both greats of British crime fiction.

An expertly plotted and moving final act for an old-school investigator of the best sort, from a true master of the genre

Few writers have even approached Harvey’s grasp of atmosphere which, mingled with some sharpish social comment and utterly believable characters, makes them a must read

A masterpiece from a master of the genre

Body and Soul is a clever thriller … that will leave you stunned and staring at the page in disbelief.

This is wonderfully atmospheric crime writing – a tribute to Harvey’s exceptional talent.

John Harvey is one of the all-time greats and remains one of my favourite writers.

The story builds brilliantly as one would expect from John Harvey, but concludes in a way which is totally unexpected. It will be interesting to see if John will now generate a new vehicle for any further ventures in crime fiction. Some possibilities surface among the new characters introduced in Body and Soul. I very much hope so. While I am prepared to let John Harvey dispense with his main characters I am not prepared to see him disappear from crime fiction bookshelves.

Harvey is very good at the small nuances of people's everyday behaviour; alongside the tension of suspense comes the equally compelling tension of their lives. Body and Soul indeed; just listen to the song.

Sadly, this is Harvey’s last book after a 40-year crime writing masterclass.

Harvey’s beautifully pared back writing, tight plot and careful characterisation raise Body and Soulabove the bar of what’s merely good crime fiction … It is great British crime fiction – and when that’s great, well, is there really anything better?

Body and Soul is an elegy on everlasting themes that have seared the hearts of great writers down the years. It is about death; it is about regret and longing; it is about duty, loyalty and people who do what they think to be right despite a chorus of lesser mortals who are chanting, “leave it – forget it – don’t get involved … we can only thank John Harvey for his matchless legacy."

What can you say about one of the masters of British crime writing? … Few writers have even approached Harvey’s grasp of atmosphere which, mingled with some sharpish social comment and utterly believable characters, makes them a must read … Resnick and Elder both gone ... It’ll be hard for those of us who prefer our crime real and brutal, our characters realistic, and our plots the stuff of everyday police work, to replace them.

Extremely compelling stuff. Loved it.

I feel quite sad that this is the last book, but at least I can go and read the earlier books in the series. John Harvey is an author who I will happily read again.

If you only pack one

A fascinating, disturbing insight into this secretive country

I’ll never again find anything funny about podgy North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, after reading this ripped-from-the-front-pages thriller.

[A] multistranded espionage thriller…told with drama and flair.

Truly absorbing

John tells his story with skill

John’s achievement is to embed these revelations in a vivid, convincing thriller. Long passages of undigested research are mercifully absent and it never feels like a mere pretext for an info-dump

‘[John] tells his exciting story well and is a fine writer of action scenes. But what really makes the book unmissable is its portrayal of everyday life for ordinary people in North Korea

- [A]n exceptionally exciting and stylish thriller

[A] cast of marvellous characters and a storyline that blows your senses

It’s a good plot, greatly enriched by the portrait of the totalitarian society that John draws

A gripping novel of extraordinary insight… The fiction grips and the reality behind it bites – hard. A terrific and disturbing read

Once Upon a River is one of the most pleasurable and satisfying new books I've read in a long time. Setterfield is a master storyteller, her language flowing with a dark magic very like the river at the heart of her tale: swift and entrancing, profound and beautiful. Give yourself a treat and read it!

Once Upon a River is a delight, just marvellous. I devoured it in gulps.

Once Upon A River succeeds in doing what you hope every book will do - pull you in from the first page, hold you captive in the middle, then leave you satisfied and thoughtful at the end. I loved it.