[Rendell] is unequalled in her ability to create amoral, unprincipled characters, then to make us pity them, until they do something terrible.

Rendell's gift for characterisation illuminates every interview with a range of suspects and makes it a pleasure to watch Wexford and burden at work.

End In Tears proved once again that no British novelist knows the heart's hungers like Ruth Rendell.

Probably the greatest living crime writer in the world

Chief Inspector Wexford is Rendell's most enduring and best creation

Deeply satisfying.

With breathless speed, Unger is off on an action-packed journey of treachery and intrigue-and sex and romance. . . . Deep as well as clever, and Unger plays it out thrillingly

Unger effectively builds suspicions. . . . Cleverly handled suspense

Her engaging narrative wins us over

This mystery's surprising twists will make your jaw drop

Perfect pitch, characters we can recognize as versions of ourselves, a plot in which a vague sense of suspense almost instantly appears and then grows with the speed of a waterslide... lip-smacking good

Lisa Unger comes on strong... A tightly written thriller... Beautiful Lies maintains a high adrenaline level throughout as Jones draws ever closer to learning the dark secrets of her childhood and to discovering who is behind a scheme that changed her life. The book's characters are fully formed, and the action is depicted with satisfying breathlessness

An intriguing plot, clever twists, surprise elements, believable characters and unexplained history explored... A real page-turner

One of Britain's finest thriller writers

Nesbo effortlessly shows what can be done with the classic detective story, employing clever tricks to maintain almost unbearable suspense

Consolidated his reputation as a Scandinavian novelist ready to fill any Larsson-shaped holes. Nesbo, one ex-rock star who can write, fuses urgent storytelling with a keen engagement with social issues

A superb, tasty, huge page-turner... Seriously scary but a superior thriller

My big book discovery this time was The Snowman by Jo Nesbo - it's about a Norwegian detective who has to investigate a series of gruesome murders. What could be better for holiday entertainment

THE NEXT STIEG LARSSON

[A] dark, chilling, page-turner

'Civilised, funny, life-affirming and hugely enjoyable. I can't recall reading crime fiction quite like this before- honest, ironic, and cheerfully unselfconscious. I urge you to share my surprise and delight.'

One of the most brilliantly playful, witty and original writers we have.

'At heart a comic novelist, who explores the relationship between comedy and crime... In Case Histories, these skills have found their literary home.'

'Sharp humour, together with a number of unexpected twists, make this a typically pacey and intelligent read.'

Not just the best novel I have read this year...but the best mystery of the decade. There are actually four mysteries, nesting like Russian dolls, and when they begin to fit together, I defy any reader not to feel a combination of delight and amazement. Case Histories is the literary equivalent of a triple axel. I read it once for pleasure and then again just to see how it was done. This is the mind of book you shove in people's faces, saying 'You gotta read this!'