Gem-hard soul-probes . . . not just the world's bestselling detective series, but an imperishable literary legend . . . he exposes secrets and crimes not by forensic wizardry, but by the melded powers of therapist, philosopher and confessor

Strangely comforting . . . so many lovely bistros from the Paris of mid-20th C. The corpses are incidental, it's the food that counts.

One of the greatest writers of the 20th century . . . no other writer can set up a scene as sharply and with such economy as Simenon does . . . the conjuring of a world, a place, a time, a set of characters - above all, an atmosphere.

Simenon's supreme virtue as a novelist, to burrow beneath the surface of his characters' behaviour; to empathise . . . it is this unfailing humanity that makes the Maigret books truly worth reading.

Gripping . . . richly rewarding . . . You'll quickly find yourself obsessing about his life as you tackle each mystery in turn

Cockroaches will thrill Harry Hole addicts. It's classic fast-paced, edge-of-the-seat style

Shows how far Nesbo has honed his skills

It's fun to see Nesbo finding his feet with Hole...and he weaves a large cast and a complex plot into a satisfying plunge into a filthy south-east Asian underbelly, ripe to bursting with corruption, exploitation and cruelty

Avoiding a scandal is supposed to be Hole’s first priority but, of course, our favourite dyspeptic detective discovers more than anyone bargained for

Another gem from the Norwegian author

What really makes the novel work is the fact that the picturesque seediness of Bangkok and Thailand turn out to be Harry Hole's natural element, despite its very non-Norwegian setting