One of the most fetchingly weird detectives...Adamsberg is a bit like Morse, but much more French. An unusual, eccentric thriller

Fred Vargas has everything: complex and surprising plots, good pace, various and eccentric characters, a sense of place and history, individualized dialogue, wit and style

Moody, tense and grotesque, Vargas's prize-winning novel is a fascinating exploration of Paris's dark side

No procedural, this, as we follow the twists and turns of Adamsberg's intuition - but it is thoroughly high-class entertainment, notably as Vargas is not afraid to test herself with the narrative

On the basis of this elegantly twisted crime novel, Vargas is clearly an author who will rank alongside Henning Mankell. The detective, Commissaire Adamsberg, is the antithesis of Sherlock Homes: intuitive, preternaturally alert to hunches, and shabbier than Colombo. The plot kinks and switches in an utterly compelling manner. Creepy, sophisticated and wonderfully off-beat

Utterly impossible to put down. Savages is, bar none, the best novel I have read in years

Don Winslow's best book yet

...a thoughtful, prescient satire on the war on drugs, packed with neat twists and funny-horrid set pieces. The characters stay with you, too

Savages [. . .] is both a gripping heist story, and a remarkably astute history of organised crime in Orange County, from the 1960s to the present.

The Way Of The Dead has everything you'd want from a book noir – enveloping atmosphere, flavorful characters, evocative writing, and a serpentine plot which seems to make the pages turn themselves. Neely Tucker is an impressive new talent.

Along with an ear for inner-city argot almost as finely tuned as those of Elmore Leonard and fellow D.C. crime writer George Pelacanos, Tucker has a knack for ingenious plotting that jolts his narrative into unexpected directions ... rich yet taut description, edgy storytelling, rock-and-rolling dialogue, and a deeply flawed but compelling hero add up to a luminous first novel.

The brisk plot is punctuated by an insightful view of journalism and manipulative editors, shady politicians, and apathetic cops, while also showing residents working to create a better neighborhood. Readers will be pleased that Tucker leaves room for a sequel.

Based on a true story, this gritty, exciting book is Tucker's impressive debut novel.

Outstanding.

Stunningly written with such brilliant and believable characters alongside such an intricately woven and gripping storyline, this is one of the most enjoyable crime fiction novels I've read in a long time.

Right from the start I loved this book – descriptions of the main characters were believable and got me hooked. A real page turner and I read it really quickly…A great first novel by Neely Tucker, and I will certainly be looking for the next one.

Intricate, absorbing and a thoroughly enjoyable read.

A page-turning, gripping debut novel ... sharply observed, well-drawn characters and pitch perfect writing.

A thoroughly enjoyable read.

Not only an enthralling murder investigation... but a plot that is strengthened and illuminated by two of the best characters I have read for some time- reporter Sully Carter and his cohort, the streetwise gangster Sly Hastings... their exchanges are pure gold.

This is a terrific first novel by a man with a long career in journalism. The tale builds to a dramatic conclusion, with a final unexpected and terrible twist in the tail.