The Scotsman

Crime fiction most popular genre in UK

- By ANGUS HOWARTH

Crime fiction has become the most popular fiction genre for the first time in the UK, according to data revealed at The London Book Fair.

Sales of crime and thriller books have increased by 19 per cent since 2015, marking the first time the genre has overtaken sales of general and literary fiction. Last year some 18.7 million units of crime fiction were sold, compared to 18.1m general and literary fiction, according to data from Nielsen Books- can. The value of crime books sold also increased by 10.6% year-on-year in 2017, up from £106.3m to £117.6m. In value terms, general and literary fiction remained the largest genre at £125.7m in 2017. Thriller writer David Baldacci, said: “When times are stressful and it looks like the bad is winning out over the good, along comes the genre of crime novels to put the balance back in life. People inherently don’t like folks who do bad to get away with it. In real life they do, all the time, because of a variety of factors. But in novels, evil is punished, and the good guys mostly win, after solving the puzzle.”

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