Perfect Crime

Our shop Manager Steve recommends some of his classic crime reads - all to be found in his staff choice!

Drowned Hopes by Donald Westlake

Hugely entertaining comic crime caper featuring anti-hero John Dortmunder. How can Dortmunder retrieve $700,000 of stolen cash from the bottom of a reservoir without allowing his sociopathic ex-cellmate to dynamite it and flood a highly populated valley?

Neon Rain by James Lee Burke

Cajun Noir Anyone? Set in lush and humid Louisianna, this crime novel really captures the rhythms of the deep South. This is the first of the series starring endearingly flawed Detective Dave Robicheax.

The Cold Cold Ground by Adrian McKinty

Belfast Noir set in 1981 during the Hunger Strikes. Reminiscent of the writing of James Ellroy and David Peace, McKinty perfectly captures the tension, humour, and music of the time.

Black Dahlia by James Ellroy

Crime writing doesn't get more hard-boiled than this. Ellroy is masterful in his depiction of sleazy post-war LA. The first book in his LA quartet series, this is loosely based on one of the most infamous unsolved murder cases in US history.

Berlin Noir - Philip Kerr

A fantastically well plotted trilogy of crime novels set in Nazi Germany. Detective Bernie Gunther takes on the mantel of Philip Marlowe, solving crimes while trying to avoid falling foul of the Nazi regime.

Daughter of Time - Josephine Tey

"Truth is the Daughter of Time" - was Richard III really responsible for the death of the Princes in the Tower? Whilst laid up in hospital with a broken leg, detective Alan Grant investigates this mystery using modern methods. A highly entertaining read.