CRIMINAL INTENT I
We love a good crime novel or thriller, and judging by the variety of titles you shared with us, we are not alone (unless of course it’s down a dark alleyway, with the sound of footsteps coming towards us… yikes!) love crime fiction, and am by now long-accustomed to being scoffed at by my book club members, who prefer their books more literary. Although it must be said that some of them love survival stories, which I can’t bear – if I have to read about one more person pointlessly battling up a mountain in a blizzard, I may have to commit a crime myself. Why can’t they just stay at home and watch TV like the rest of us?!
The thing about crime writing is that everything gets sorted out in the end. There are no loose ends, nothing to wonder about. It’s just so satisfying to have it all wrapped up, and so unlike real life – which is its appeal, of course.
OUR FAVOURITE SA CRIME WRITERS:
• KARIN BRYNARD (WHO YOU’VE JUST MET ON PAGE 106) • DEON MEYER • MIKE NICOL • SALLY ANDREW • ANGELA MAKHOLWA • ROGER SMITH • MARGIE ORFORD • MICHELE ROWE • IRNA VAN ZYL
…AND SOME OLD FAVOURITES
THE FUNNY ONES Carl Hiaasen,
whose plots are almost as hilarious and weird as his villains. But underneath it all beats the heart of an eco-warrior – he highlights issues around the development of his beloved Florida Keys in an entertaining way.
Janet Evanovich, whose 17-book protagonist, Stephanie Plum, gave up her career as a lingerie buyer to become a bounty hunter.
Elmore Leonard, the master craftsman, who successfully heeds his own advice to would-be writers: ‘Leave out the boring bits.’
Mick Herron, whose Slow Horses series is funny and extremely rude. THE GRITTY ONES: Michael Connelly,
who created grim detective Harry Bosch and his slightly morally dodgy half-brother, lawyer Mickey Haller. Benjamin Black, aka John Banville (who says crime isn’t literary!), whose pathologist Quirk battles the booze and Dublin’s mean streets.
Denise Mina – as dark and unforgiving as the Glasgow she describes.
Walter Mosely, whose protagonist Easy Rawlins is never entirely at ease – which allows him to see things few others pick up. Robert Galbraith, aka JK Rowling, whose one-legged detective, Cormoran Strike, makes a battered but irresistible hero.