Don't start reading these books unless you are confident that you can handle addiction

The real queen of crime

Allingham's work is always of the first rank

Allingham captures her quintessential quiet detective Albert Campion to perfection... For those who relish classic crime fiction

An outstanding piece of work – original, clever, baffling

Cara Massimina was a triumph of the darkly-comic-thriller-and-something-more-besides genre. This is an even greater one

It is Vargas's eerie, sensuous portrait of Paris, at once a place of romance and dread, which resonates most hauntingly in this novel

A flavoursome translation, it shows her [Vargas'] dark charm from the off

Mark Haddon's portrayal of an emotionally dissociated mind is a superb achievement. He is a wise and bleakly funny writer with rare gifts of empathy

I have never read anything quite like Mark Haddon's funny and agonizingly honest book, or encountered a narrator more vivid and memorable. I advise you to buy two copies; you won't want to lend yours out

Original, moving and entertaining for adults as well as for older children

A deservedly acclaimed read.

It may be McHugh’s debut psychological crime novel, but in my book, The Weight of Blood, puts this talented writer up there with the best of them. Inspired by a true story that took place in the town in the Ozark Mountains where McHugh spent part of her childhood, this gripping thriller bravely confronts the scandalous treatment of young women in modern-day America… A compulsive debut filled with suspense, this book leaves me wanting more from McHugh

A chilling psychological thriller with two distinct strands... This is tense, atmospheric stuff well told, an impressive debut

One of my favourite reads of last year, this is a well-written cleverly plotted and chilling story

Compelling.

There is a fantastically handled creeping dread to the narrative flow… The ambiguity of Jake's story and her history are played with brilliantly throughout, making this an eerie, creepy kind of existential thriller.

Tim Winton [is] a writer with whom the fearless Wyld deserves serious comparison.

Completely and utterly monumental. Powerful and beautiful written... I was a fan of Evie Wyld beforehand and this is such a leap forwards. An important book.

Thriller, beast-fable and fantasy, Evie Wyld’s second novel is a sparky, dark yarn set in a georgic world of sheep husbandry where things have gone spectacularly awry.

In a sense, this is a tale of possible love and redemption, at once energetic and dark. In another sense, it is a book about summary justice and suspicion, which we readers have been indulging in too… Clever and very unexpected indeed.

A story that asks darkly whether we can rid ourselves of our past.

Wyld has a skill for creating flawed characters you can’t help but root for.

It is written with wit and affection.

This is a wonderfully atmospheric novel with a gripping narrative that keeps the reader on edge all the way through.

A dark, powerfully disturbing and beautifully observed story about a haunting, both physical and temporal.

Evie Wyld merges into her mysterious tale of a lonely shepherdess a savage Australian back-story that lends a haunting extra dimension to a novel of troubling beauty.

A page-turner.

All the Birds, Singing is a gracefully written, absorbing thriller from a new literary talent.

A hair-pricking rural thriller that confirms the talents of a thrilling prose stylist.

I’ve never taught a creative writing course, but if I did I’d certainly introduce my would-be students to Evie Wyld’s All the Birds, Singing... Written in the future tense, the book has an ending of extraordinary pathos and beauty.

This is a powerful, gritty, strong story of suffering and survival... It is quality stuff, stunning.

A wonderfully atmospheric novel with a gripping narrative.

Precise, intense, haunting and poetic… This is a subtle exploration of suffering and resilience and, for once, the hype matches the talent.

Broodingly lyrical… Spellbinding.

Wyld uses language that is purely gorgeous, even – perhaps especially – when underscoring dread.

Impressive.

A tough and tender take on suffering and redemption.

Suspenseful and melancholy… Masterful

A compelling, tense novel that lingers with the reader long after it has been finished

With beautiful writing, it is a compelling, rather dark story which makes you laugh and cry

I am obsessed with it, and with what Wyld is going to do next