When I鈥檓 not reading for work, I鈥檓 a fiend for crime novels at the moment. I will undoubtedly take away one of Ian Rankin鈥檚 novels, probably A Question of Blood. I鈥檝e followed the progress of Rankin and his detective, John Rebus, from the very first novel. It鈥檚 great to see a writer develop 鈥� as well as his main character 鈥� over the series: it鈥檚 astonishing how his style and his hero change. Rebus and Edinburgh, where most of the novels are set, get darker and more brooding by the book.
Still on the detective theme, I would recommend Malcolm Pryce鈥檚 novels. He鈥檚 got a delightful sense of humour and a style reminiscent of Raymond Chandler: I love one reviewer鈥檚 description of him as 鈥渢he king of Welsh noir鈥�! It鈥檚 worth starting with his first book Aberystwyth Mon Amour. You鈥檒l either love it or hate it.
The other book I鈥檒l certainly read on holiday if I have the time is The Amateur Cracksman by E. W. Hornung. The hero is A. J Raffles, a Victorian gentleman thief. Hornung was Arthur Conan Doyle鈥檚 brother-in-law and Raffles is a sort of mirror image of Sherlock Holmes. The idea of writing about successful crooks seems to have gone out of style but apparently back in those days crime really did pay鈥�
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