The familiar characters and Venetian location are described with remarkable freshness and, as always, the edifying result is both amusing and thought-provoking

Leon’s impeccably plotted, utterly involving Italian-set novels (featuring the food-loving Commissario Brunetti) have rarely been less than excellent. So it proves with the latest, The Golden Egg. Involved in routine enquiries into a possible bribery case, Brunetti hears from his wife Paola of the death of an educationally-challenged man who worked at the Brunetti’s dry cleaners ... The Golden Egg is Donna Leon on top form.

If there’s a writer for whom the law of diminishing returns has been revoked, it’s Donna Leon. The doyenne of Italian crime fiction, whose stamina in returning time and again to her Venetian beat is matched only by her curiosity, she has proved herself, in the space of 22 titles, not only an able detective novelist, but the author of something more substantial ... It is one of the joys of Leon’s work that she can take readers into the sinister heart of Italy, and yet, in the person of Brunetti and his companions, convince us that not all is lost.

The introspective Brunetti, a man with a healthy sense of the absurd and a sharp eye for the fading grandeur of the city’s architecture, makes for good company as he negotiates the perilous labyrinth of Venetian police office politics. Deceptively languid in its pace and a masterclass in mood, The Golden Egg … is a meticulously crafted example of how even the most apparently innocuous of crimes can reveal a trove of history.

All beautifully spliced together

The Golden Egg is Donna Leon on top form.

Donna Leon is better than ever…Superb.

[T]his is a much darker version of Brunetti-land than the earlier novels…The character of the deaf mutes seems to serve as an allegory of the political landscape of Italy – the public silenced and ignored, whilst those in power continue the ancient Italian tradition of fiddle-playing.

The descriptions of Venice and Venetian life are beautifully written and acutely observed … The author clearly has an excellent understanding of the Italian psyche and a profound knowledge of Venice and Venetian life. This is the 22nd book in Donna Leon’s Commissario Brunetti series and I can’t wait for the 23rd.

The Son creates a brand new anti-hero, an avenging angel of sorts whose destiny is driven by righting perceived wrongs with a bloody and bullet-riddled path through the criminal underworld

Jo Nesbo is an excellent novelist even if he's not writing about Harry Hole

Another of Nesbo’s gripping tales

Complex and sophisticated... The world [Nesbo’s] creations inhabit is infinitely cruel, brutal yet beautiful

Watch it fly off the shelves and pack the audiences in the cinemas in equal measure

This story stays with you long after you’ve finished it

Nesbo is on top form with this crime novel, a book that you quite rightfully can't put down

This is a novel of total authority, with a highly original concept

Long Way Home is a truly exceptional debut crime novel, a perceptive, smart and harrowing look at modern England. Written with great skill, confidence and originality, it feels like a game-changer for twenty-first century British crime fiction

Long Way Home gave me that tingle of excitement that only happens rarely, the feeling I got when I first read George Pelecanos and Dennis Lehane - the combination of brilliant writing, a thrilling plot and social heart. I genuinely think it's one of the best debuts I've ever read

Eva Dolan is the real deal. Plenty of contemporary British crime writers claim to write about the real world but in Dolan's brave, brilliant debut she nails it completely. The Daily Mail will hate it. I loved it.

A pacy, twisty, compelling and addictive crime thriller - but it's so much more besides. For me, the best experiences in literature are those that take you somewhere you don't know; to people and places you have never encountered. I was hoping for a rattling good page-turner. I wasn't expecting anything quite so profound

Eva Dolan’s stunning novel is a gritty and unflinching look into a seedy, violent world that most of us would rather pretend never existed. In DI Zigic and DS Fereira, Dolan has created two authentic and intriguing characters

Crisp and intelligent writing, strong characters, a great mystery and an engaging style. From the first page, I knew I was in safe hands

A novel set in Peterborough might not be the most tempting of premises, but this is worth your time detective duo Zigic and Ferreira, Dolan has created two engaging characters. The first of a series, this is a promising debut that pulls no punches

With such compelling characters, Dolan breathes new life into the police procedural novel and marks herself out as an exciting writer to watch

Dolan's a terrific new talent, and I can't wait to be kept awake by her next novel

A great read, a real page turner and a very satisfactory ending

An impressive series debut, and the next book will be eagerly awaited

Raw and real start to a new series

What could be standard police procedural stands out for its excellent character work and the timely way it deals with hot-button political topics dominating the headlines

The plot is tight, the anger righteous but not worthy, and the action thrilling. Happily she has a new novel out next year

Well paced and packed with some genuinely surprising twists and turns, not to mention a sneaky red herring or two…, the book will definitely keep your interest piqued to the end

Gripping…Excellent book.

An assured and compelling debut that brings multi-cultural Britain vividly to life. I feel I know Zigic and Ferreira, the protagonists of this terrific novel, and look forward to their next outing. I hope I don’t have to wait too long