Brilliantly crafted . . . masterly control of suspense

Tense, frightening, gripping

Nerve-tingling and addictive

Nicci French's sophisticated, compassionate and gripping crime novels stand head and shoulders above the competition. No one understands human psychological frailty better. No one writes better about grief, love, fear or emotional damage. Not many books are as insightful as they are addictive; Nicci French's are.

Macbeth as a SWAT team leader. His wife as a former prostitute. The three witches as drug dealers. It's Shakespeare's darkest tale -- reimagined by the king of Nordic noir

One of the few crime writers today blessed with a bloodlust worthy of the Jacobeans...riveting

Wonderfully atmospheric

Nesbo has let his noirish imagination run riot... more than matches Shakespeare for moment-to-moment thrills

A gripping tale of vaulting ambition and proof that “blood will have blood”

The fun comes from watching a crack storyteller put his noir stamp on one of Shakespeare's greatest tragedies... Nesbo manages the balancing act of being true to the original play without slighting his own interests as a writer: bleak settings, loyalty (or the lack thereof) among crooks, clever escapes from tight spots, the affinities between policemen and the criminals they chase

Bursts with a rude imaginative vigour

Has the dark, DC Comics-style setting of the author's Harry Hole books... wonderfully atmospheric

Jo Nesbo + Shakespeare = pure dynamite...the plot is explosive from start to finish

World-class writing. Jo Nesbo at his best

Masterful...apocalyptic... The result is magnificent... Readers who have never heard of Shakespeare will read this novel as a pure, suspenseful crime novel

Jo Nesbo has turned Macbeth into a hard-boiled and suspenseful story about a highly corrupt town where blood flows freely... The characters, the cities, the struggle for power, and the madness are portrayed with an apparent love for the original work and by the skilled hand of a professional... Jo Nesbo’s Macbeth is certainly a Nesbo novel... Nesbo’s hardcore fans will love it

Expect blood-soaked action amid corruption, vendettas, addiction and turmoil in a dark, intricate, roller-coaster read

Murder, ambition, domestic tragedy… all three appear, grippingly rendered, in the works of Norwegian crime write Jo Nesbo

Nesbø follows Shakespeare’s storyline faithfully… it is striking how well suited the plot is to a gritty modern thriller.

Deliciously wicked

Nesbø clearly had fun…it feels as if Shakespeare has been bent to Nesbø’s will. Refeshing’

Charismatic, grimy masterpiece

Bleak and atmospheric

A suspenseful journey into the past with the notorious 1950s serial killer Peter Manuel, it’s a brilliant, unsettling read

The book left me with vivid images of the deprived city at that time, as well as the villains, thugs, police and normal people with opposing religious views. There is a real undercurrent of evil throughout the book from start to finish. It is a fascinating way to tell a horrific tale and although uncomfortable and tragic for all the families’ loss, it shows the monster for what he is

This unsettling, uncomfortable and compulsively readable take on justice and retribution is the real deal

If, while wishing, Ian Brady or Charles Manson a sincere good riddance, you found yourself wondering what it would be like to experience their sulphurous charisma in person, Mina’s version of Manuel is probably the closest you can get. When I finished it I wanted simultaneously to burn it and to buy copies for everybody I know

The ever-reliable Mina deserves all the awards she has already won for this, her latest novel…. Absorbing and filled with insights, this is a bravura performance, a true original

A superb recreation of a Glasgow serial murder trial (and risk of miscarriage of justice) in 1958.

When I finished it I simultaneously wanted to burn it and to buy copies for everyone I know.

The Long Drop neither excuses the ghastly Manuel nor does it soft-soap the police and their ulterior motives, it does not sanctify the victims nor does it shy away from its own gruesome fascination with gruesome fascination.

This is an absolutely compelling read.

Staggering in scope and execution.

Mina's insight into the wellsprings of violence is terrifyingly acute and her eye for period detail is unsurpassed. A bravura reimagining of 1950s Glasgow

Mina’s recent novel The Long Drop…is her most interesting work

An atmospheric recreation of a vanished Glasgow…and a compelling exploration of the warped criminal mind. A Mina masterpiece

One of the most exciting writers to have emerged in Britain for years.

One of the most fiercely intelligent of crime writers

The ending hits the reader like a kick in the stomach

Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir ...all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone

The threads lie in various places, the plot is well woven and the pieces in the puzzle come together well in the end. The structure is good, the main characters are believable, the story flows well, everyone is a suspect á la Agatha Christie and the solution unveils the mystery and leads the readers to the truth. But not all the truth, as some things are better left hidden

Hulda Hermannsdottir is a welcome addition to the selection of Icelandic crime fiction protagonists . . . It is almost impossible to put the book down until the last word has been read

Out of all of Ragnar's books, this is the one I like the most . . . The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie

A very good book, gripping and interesting, with all the threads carefully managed. Hopefully the author will publish as many books as possible with lead character Hulda

Praise for Ragnar Jónasson

No country associated with the label Nordic noir is as bleak, cold, snowy and empty as Iceland. And no crime writer portrays those elements as evocatively and scarily as Ragnar Jonasson

A classic crime story seen through a uniquely Icelandic lens... first rate and highly recommended

A modern take on Agatha Christie-­-style mystery, as twisty as any slalom . . .

Ragnar Jónasson writes with a chilling, poetic beauty - a must-read addition to the growing canon of Iceland Noir

Distinctive blend of Nordic noir and golden age detective fiction...atmospheric...economical and evocative prose

Seductive ... an old-fashioned murder mystery with a strong central character and the fascinating background of a small Icelandic town cut off by snow. Ragnar does claustrophobia beautifully

The ending hits the reader like a kick in the stomach

Jonasson's books have breathed new life into Nordic noir ...all the skilful plotting of an old-fashioned whodunit although it feels bitingly contemporary in setting and tone

Hulda Hermannsdottir is a welcome addition to the selection of Icelandic crime fiction protagonists . . . It is almost impossible to put the book down until the last word has been read

Out of all of Ragnar's books, this is the one I like the most . . . The book of his which reminds me most of Agatha Christie

The threads lie in various places, the plot is well woven and the pieces in the puzzle come together well in the end. The structure is good, the main characters are believable, the story flows well, everyone is a suspect á la Agatha Christie and the solution unveils the mystery and leads the readers to the truth. But not all the truth, as some things are better left hidden

A very good book, gripping and interesting, with all the threads carefully managed. Hopefully the author will publish as many books as possible with lead character Hulda