Listmania!
The Best 25 Books I've read in recent years
A Quiet Belief in AngelsA Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J. Ellory
Buy new: £3.47 / Used from: £0.01
Haunting, shocking, mesmerising. Prose, imagery and metaphor of a standard I feared we had lost
SleepyheadSleepyhead by Mark Billingham
Buy new: £4.89 / Used from: £0.01
There are so many murder mysteries out there, but this one was slightly different. The murders were all accidental
A Place of ExecutionA Place of Execution by Val McDermid
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £2.86
It's tough to pick the best of Val McDermid, but this one just, just tops them all. A must-have.
Eleven MinutesEleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho
Buy new: £2.93 / Used from: £1.68
Not everyone loves it, but I do. A tale about sado-masochistic sex that is at all times tasteful and somehow uplifting
TokyoTokyo by Mo Hayder
Buy new: £2.56 / Used from: £0.01
Mo Hayder is an exceptionally talented writer, and TOKYO is probably her best effort to date. A true thriller, scary at times too
American TabloidAmerican Tabloid by James Ellroy
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
An epic by any standard. Ellroy is a genius, and this take on the JFK era is as good as he's ever done
The ApprenticeThe Apprentice by Tess Gerritsen
Buy new: £4.89 / Used from: £3.28
Of the six Rizzoli/Isles novels, this second one is (IMHO) the best, but read them in order for maximum pleasure
The White RoadThe White Road by John Connolly
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.69
My favourite (so far) among the Charlie 'Bird' Parker series, mixing organised crime with the supernatural
RetributionRetribution by Jilliane Hoffman
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
What a debut - sequels have disappointed but this one has everything : sex, murder and revenge
Twisted: Collected Stories of Jeffery DeaverTwisted: Collected Stories of Jeffery Deaver by Jeffery Deaver
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
Hard to pick a Deaver favourite, but this one's the best value as you get not one twisted story, but sixteen!
The Innocent ManThe Innocent Man by John Grisham
Buy new: £13.29 / Used from: £0.01
Grisham's first work of non-fiction and a sight better than some of his recent novels. Gripping stuff
The Lincoln LawyerThe Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly
Buy new: £4.31 / Used from: £0.01
No, it's not a Harry Bosch novel, it's a one-off, and it shows Connelly at his best. Top-notch courtroom drama
Want to Play?Want to Play? by P.J. Tracy
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
The first and still the best from mummy-and-daughter novellists Patricia and Traci.
Darkest Fear (A Myron Bolitar Novel)Darkest Fear (A Myron Bolitar Novel) by Harlan Coben
Buy new: £4.45 / Used from: £0.73
There are several Myron Bolitar escapades to choose from, but this one is just about my favourite
The Silence of the LambsThe Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £0.01
Although I saw the film 16+ years ago, I only read the book recently. What more need be said - it's a landmark novel.
Vernon God LittleVernon God Little by DBC Pierre
Buy new: £2.90 / Used from: £0.01
Not everyone's cup of tea, but I loved it. Refreshingly different style
Notes on a ScandalNotes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
Buy new: £5.59 / Used from: £0.01
Worthy of its Booker nomination, and worthy of conversion to the big screen. Judi Dench was brilliant
CandlemothCandlemoth by Roger Jon Ellory
Buy new: £3.05 / Used from: £0.01
Ellory's debut and without a doubt on a par with his blockbuster A Quiet Belief in Angels. Extraordinary story-telling with a dynamic conclusion
The Black DahliaThe Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.01
Couldn't resist another Ellroy in my Top 20. Forget the film (which was rubbish) - the book's a masterpiece
BirdmanBirdman by Mo Hayder
Buy new: £5.99 / Used from: £0.63
And because Mo Hayder is one of my favourite writers, I had to include BIRDMAN too. Questionable subject matter but superbly written
The Lovely BonesThe Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Buy new: £3.94 / Used from: £0.01
For me, this was a moving and authentic take on life after death, that death brought about by tragic circumstances
In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Penguin Modern Classics)In Cold Blood : A True Account of a Multiple Murder and Its Consequences (Penguin Modern Classics) by Truman Capote
Buy new: £3.60 / Used from: £3.59
The Grapes of WrathThe Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Buy new: £6.74 / Used from: £4.50
The Big Sleep (Penguin Fiction)The Big Sleep (Penguin Fiction) by Raymond Chandler
Buy new: £2.97 / Used from: £1.46
Sidetracked (Kurt Wallender Mystery)Sidetracked (Kurt Wallender Mystery) by Henning Mankell
Buy new: £5.49 / Used from: £1.68