Prize-Winning Crime Fiction

Would Something Different Kill You?

The shelves of every bookshop and newsagent are crammed with crime books.  There is nothing like a bit of murder and mystery to take you away from the drudgery of everyday life.  But those shelves have the same novels by the same few authors, and they have all been published in the last couple of years.

We are all busy reading the same books by the same people, making some authors and publishers a very comfortable livelihood.

What Are You Missing?

I enjoy Ian Rankin or Jo Nesbø as much as the next man, and I have shelves full of John Grisham and  Patricia Cornwell novels… and so does everybody else.  It is like visiting the Costa del Sol or Florida for your holiday every year.  It is lovely; you and the crowds are bound to have a fabulous time, but what are you missing?

Prize-Winning Crime Fiction

I decided to change my habits, stop picking up the books the publishers are pushing and read the novels the critics raved about instead. I wanted to find out if prize-winning crime fiction is worth reading. What was so special about the Deutscher Krimipreis Kategorie International, and is the Last Laugh Award funny? 

I resolved to read only one book by a prize-winning author and then move on to another writer. I’ve written some notes about each author and then added a couple of alternative recommendations of their other work — just in case the reviewed book doesn’t appeal or because I decided to break my one-book rule (listening to a book tape isn’t really reading, is it?)

Here is the challenge, try reading a book by somebody you haven’t heard of and see if you like it.  You might find your next favourite author. Imagine how superior you will feel when you start spouting to your friends about the Grand Prix de Littérature Policière; you too can be a crime book bore.

Don’t Know Where to Start?

How about one of these? Go on; life is too short to read a bad book…