John Grisham returns in the best Classic Crime novels out now: The Best of Peter Lovesey
The Best of Peter Lovesey Stories by Peter Lovesey (Allison and Busby £22, 600pp)
The Best of Peter Lovesey Stories is available now from the Mail Bookshop
What finer tribute could there be to five-star crime writer Lovesey than this magnificent collection of his short stories.
With his deceptively easy-going style, he delivers a bundle of surprises ranging from a murderer exposed by the habits of a rare butterfly to the hijacking of a priceless concert harp which proves to be a cover for drug trafficking.
A personal favourite is the comeuppance for a Victorian agony aunt who gives sanctimonious advice to a disillusioned bride.
Along with a dark strand of humour, the tingle of anticipation runs through the book. Every story builds to a climax that leaves you gasping.
The Litigators by John Grisham (Hodder & Stoughton £10.99, 448pp)
A reissue of Grisham’s legal thrillers is an event to be celebrated. Grisham has two great qualities: he knows his stuff and is a born storyteller.
In The Litigators, first published 14 years ago, we meet David Zinc, a high-flying corporate lawyer teetering on the edge of a nervous breakdown.
He finds refuge in a two-bit law practice where uncontested divorces and accident claims are the chief source of income.
But the big time beckons when it emerges that a supposedly life-enhancing drug might, in fact, be a health hazard.
With a raft of clients scenting hefty damages, David is once more up against a Goliath of commercial sharp practice – only this time in partnership with two deadbeat partners.
After a slow start, the plot reaches a finale that is unexpected and heartwarming.
A Quiet Place by Seicho Matsumoto (Penguin Classics £9.99, 240pp)
A growing list of Japanese crime writers is led by Matsumoto who has been compared favourably to Agatha Christie. But while the Christie comfort zone holds the promise that, eventually, all will be well, with Matsumoto a happy ending is by no means certain.
In A Quiet Place, from 1971, a middle-ranking civil servant is away from home when he hears of his wife’s death from a heart attack – and the circumstances raise disturbing questions.
How did she die in a Tokyo neighbourhood not normally frequented by respectable housewives? And why are those who were with her reluctant to provide information?
Methodically peeling away layers of deception, the grieving husband is propelled towards revelations that lead to murder. Will he escape retribution for his crime of passion?
The question hovers until the last page.