Bestselling author Ann Cleeves, creator of the Vera and Shetland book series, has named the five crime novels she considers the best ever written. Her picks span first publications from the 1930s, 1950s, 1960s, 1980s and 1990s.
No Christie or Doyle on the list
Notably, the list excludes classic works by Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Cleeves, 72, whose third series is set in North Devon featuring Matthew Venn, chose Love in Amsterdam by Nicolas Freeling as her first pick.
Originally published in 1962, Love in Amsterdam is the first novel in the acclaimed Van Der Valk series set in Amsterdam, adapted into an ITV series starring Marc Warren. The Dutch detective investigates the murder of a woman in her apartment, helped by the man accused of killing her.
From Maigret to modern crime
Second on the list is The Saint-Fiacre Affair by Georges Simenon, also known as Maigret Goes Home. First published in 1932, it sees Inspector Maigret return to his childhood village after receiving an anonymous note predicting a crime during All Souls' Day Mass.
Her third choice is The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham, originally published in 1952. Detective Albert Campion investigates a violent murderer on the rampage in post-war London and a mysterious man posing as a war widower's dead husband.
Still Water by John Harvey, published in 1997, is the most modern book on the list. The eighth Resnick novel sees Detective Inspector Charlie Resnick investigate the battered bodies of women found floating in still water in an inner city canal.
The fifth book is Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky, originally published in 1987. VI Warshawski delves into medical malpractice after a friend's daughter dies in childbirth.
New release and full list
The fourth book in the Two Rivers series featuring Matthew Venn, The Dying Light by Ann Cleeves (hardback, £22), is out now.
Ann Cleeves' five favourite crime novels are: Love in Amsterdam by Nicolas Freeling, The Saint-Fiacre Affair by Georges Simenon, The Tiger in the Smoke by Margery Allingham, Still Water by John Harvey, and Bitter Medicine by Sara Paretsky.
