Val McDermid grew up in a Scottish mining community then read English at Oxford. She was a journalist for sixteen years, spending the last three as Northern Bureau Chief of a national Sunday tabloid. She is now a full-time writer and lives in South Manchester.
Strange Sally Diamond (2023) Liz Nugent "It's compassionate and challenging, letting us imagine the lives that are forgotten when the news cycle moves on . . . a very special book."
The Second Cut (2022) (Rilke, book 2) Louise Welsh "I doubt I'll read a better book this year. Dark, funny and humane, Louise Welsh tells the stories that nobody else dares."
Old Sins (2021) (DI Kelso Strang, book 4) Aline Templeton "She has become the crime czar of the Scottish small town."
Everyday Kindness (2021) LJ Ross "A win/win when it comes to making you feel good – the stories will do just that, and buying this book will help homeless people."
The House of Ashes (2021) Stuart Neville "Chilling, compassionate and compelling, Stuart Neville takes us straight to the dark heart of rural Ireland."
The Christmas Murder Game (2021) Alexandra Benedict "The perfect gift for quizzers and mystery addicts . . . A delicious locked room mystery crammed with cryptic clues, secrets in sonnets and a deadly game. But it's more than a series of puzzles, it's also an entertaining exploration of relationships and a riveting read."
Body Language (2020) (Cassie Raven, book 1) A K Turner "A. K. Turner spins science into spellbinding storytelling."
Midwinter Murder (2020) (Murder For All Seasons) Agatha Christie "Agatha Christie is the gateway drug to crime fiction both for readers and for writers."
Grimoire (2020) Robin Robertson "I’ve long admired Robin Robertson’s narrative gift . . . If you love stories, you will love this book."
Spiral of Lies (2019) (Johnny Hawke, book 7) David Stuart Davies "Jonny Hawke breathes new life into the traditional British mystery. He's a hero with a heart."
A Shadow Intelligence (2019) (Elliot Kane, book 1) Oliver Harris "A twisting spiral of lies and corruption, a pitch-perfect portrait of contemporary London and a beguiling bastard of a hero."
Shadows of Athens (2019) (Philocles, book 1) JM Alvey "As vivid and lively as a Greek wedding - but with rather more blood!"
Shadow Man (2017) (DI Lukas Mahler, book 1) Margaret Kirk "A harrowing and horrific game of consequences."
These Darkening Days (2017) (Mace & Brindle, book 2) Benjamin Myers "There is no hiding place from the darkness because the writing is so damned good."
Fateful Mornings (2017) (Henry Farrell, book 2) Tom Bouman "Fateful Mornings is a haunting dissection of the broken heart of America."
The Hidden Room (2017) Stella Duffy "Corrosive secrets kept hidden with the best of intentions crawl into the light and threaten the happy present. Nobody turns the screw of tension tighter than Stella Duffy, giving it a final twist that left me gasping."
Sirens (2017) (Aidan Waits, book 1) Joseph Knox "Sirens is a powerhouse of noir. Joseph Knox owns Manchester and paints it in all its grimy colours."
Crash Land (2016) Doug Johnstone "An unnerving tale of what happens to ordinary lives when the wheels come off."
Beyond the Truth (2016) (Hanne Wilhelmsen, book 7) Anne Holt "Anne Holt reveals how truly dark it gets in Scandinavia."
A Rising Man (2016) (Sam Wyndham, book 1) Abir Mukherjee "One of the most exciting debut novels I've read in years."
Mean Woman Blues (2003) (Skip Langdon, book 9) Julie Smith "Julie Smith writes like jazz should sound - cool, complex, and penetrating right to the heart."
Bitter Blue (2003) (Sal Kilkenny, book 6) Cath Staincliffe "It's always exciting to see a writer get better and better, and Cath Staincliffe is doing just that."
Dreaming the Eagle (2003) (Boudica, book 1) Manda Scott "A staggeringly imaginative invocation of Britain's secret history ...Breathtakingly good, it reveals the best and worst in all of us."
Kisscut (2002) (Grant County, book 2) Karin Slaughter "Grips like a vice from the first page."
The Desperate Remedy (2002) (Henry Gresham, book 4) Martin Stephen "Henry Gresham is a hero for all seasons, and The Desperate Remedy is a dashing delight that challenges what we think we know."
Folly (2001) (Folly Island, book 1) Laurie R King "One of the most literate and gifted writers the mystery world has seen for some time."
Unnatural Fire (2000) (Countess Ashby De La Zouche, book 1) Fidelis Morgan "Fidelis Morgan's tale of love and greed and alchemy in 1699 is a heady compound of wit, wisdom and wildness. It's an unsentimental warts-and-all portrait that reeks of authenticity, written with a brio that reflects the age."
Over My Dead Body (2000) (Eddathorpe, book 6) Raymond Flynn "A solution as clever as any I've read this year. DI Graham, with his homicidal Lakeland terrier, is an unconventional copper form the same breed as Frost and Morse. On this form, like them he should win fans and keep them."
Pushover (1999) Dianne Pugh (Dianne Emley) "Sharp and stylish... Clever and cool."
Walking with Ghosts (1999) (Sam Turner, book 4) John Baker "His characters endear themselves to us, and we care what happens to them. The writing is always quirky, never flashy, and . . . he leaves us wanting more of an engaging crew who feel like friends by the end of the book."
Birdman (1999) (Jack Caffery, book 1) Mo Hayder "Not for the faint-hearted...what sets Birdman apart is Hayder's talent."
Blood Guilt (1998) (Kit O'Malley Mystery Series, book 1) Lindy Cameron "Kit O'Malley, smart-mouthed, sharp-witted and sexy. Don't start this book if you have somewhere to be."
Bad Vibes (1998) (Fizz and Buchanan, book 3) Joyce Holms "Engaging and entertaining... Deft, daft and definitely delicious."
The Locust Farm (1998) Jeremy Dronfield "A tense page-turner... dodging between serial-killer thriller, psychological suspense and full on action drama."
No Laughing Matter (1997) (Nick Madrid, book 1) Peter Guttridge "Made me laugh out loud and wince in sympathy at both the violence and the humiliation meted out to the narrator . . . enormous fun."
A Likeness in Stone (1997) Julia Wallis Martin "This is a compelling psychological thriller with echoes of Barbara Vine and Minette Walters. Well written, intelligent and chilling."
