The weather's been a little crazier than usual these past couple of weeks, with the sun and rain trading places faster than a blink of an eye. Both times, they've been kept company by thick haze, which has done away with my plans for outdoor exercise. 

But the rain, "how do I love thee, let me count the ways"! It's the best time to curl up with a good crime novel, and I've done so many a day. My favourites (so far) for these occasions and in no particular order:


1. Cover Her Face by P.D. James

P.D.James first novel centres around English village life and how that supposedly peaceful, orderly existence gets disrupted with the murder of a maid working in the Maxie household. The book was first published in 1962 and is detailed in its description of repressed, sufferingly polite characters and some not so nice ones. This may be a put off when you're just starting the book, but be patient, the waiting is worth it.

 

Alice Sebold's highly acclaimed novel doesn't fall strictly under the crime genre; it's more a of drama really. But it revolves around a crime all the same: the murder of teenager Susie Salmon and how her spirit tries to bring her murderer to justice. Dark, at times disturbing, yet deeply moving, Sebold's novel is a riveting read on the coldest of nights.


3. Dead Simple by Peter James

One of the more intriguing and fast-paced stories you'll find: depressed detective Roy Grace is tasked with finding a missing bridegroom, who dissappeared just days before his wedding. "Far-fetched but terrifying thriller" is how Amazon described it and I couldn't agree more. You'll find it hard-pressed to put this one down even to pee. 


4. The No.1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

Although he's Caucasian, Smith is African-born, which explains why his novel about a female Botswanian private detective is rich with details of African life and people.

An effortless crime classic is how I would describe this novel by Buchan, which is set in Scotland. The protagonist is Richard Hannay, who on his return from South Africa, gets framed in a twisted sequence of events that will leave you gripping the edge of your seat.


6. Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

The year is 1954. The place: San Piedro, a small island where a local fisherman is found drowned. A Japanese American man is arrested for his murder but a white journalist who used to love the man's wife steps in to find the real murderer. Riveting and touching in parts, this book is a real gem if you can get your hands on it.


7. The Closers by Michael Connelly

Featuring reluctant hero Detective Harry Bosch, "The Closers" is a gripping crime drama about a cold case that Bosch has never gotten over. Already at the end of his career, Bosch goes searching for clues to solve the murder that has haunted him for nearly two decades. What he finds, is not what he expects and neither will you.