Changes

It's as we move into the golden age of crime fiction that the selections become exciting. I found some of my personal favourites: Before the Fact by Francis Iles (perhaps my favourite crime story of all time), The Beast Must Die by Nicholas Blake and Green for Danger] by Christianna Brand. There have always been a few books which I thought of as guilty pleasures - ones which I enjoyed but thought were essentially a little light on literary merit and I was surprised to find a couple of them in Keating's selection. I once read avidly through the whole of J J Marric's ''Gideon'' books and it was only when I read the review of Gideon's Week that I realised that Marric is another of the pseudonyms of the very prolific John Creasey.

It's a wonderful book to pick up and browse, or read, as I did, from beginning to end. Just reading a review will give pleasure and it's a wonderful resource if you have an interest in crime fiction. Unfortunately many of the books will be out of print but libraries and second-hand bookshops do occasionally yield some gems. If you're a fan of crime fiction I'd regard this as essential reading.