Can you help me find some good crime/murder/thriller books please?

Another vote for the Mankell books here. I've had them all for ages and have been saving them up - only just read the first couple of them (despite seeing a few of the TV adaptations!) and am really enjoying them.

Karin Fossum is another excellent Scandinavian crime writer. Ditto Ake Edwardson (seem to have got into a bit of groove with these lately - why so many crime writers from Norway/Sweden/Iceland, I wonder?)

Someone must have mentioned the incomparable Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham - Golden Age crime fiction, and completely fab. Same goes for Gladys Mitchell. Rather odd but very sharp and funny. The Beeb serialised her books a few years ago and totally miscast Diana Rigg as her heroine, Dame Beatrice Adela Lestrange Bradley (!)

No-one seems to have mentioneded Henning Mankell yet (Wallander books). Read one recently and loved it - the Fifth Woman - and have 2 more lined up to read next.

Fred Vargas - French crime novels, very good, lots of psychological stuff.

Tess Gerritson is good especially The Mephisto Club.

Also The Brutal Art by Jesse Kellerman for a great murder/thriller. Linwood Barclay is another good read.

Also another vote for The suspicions of Mr. Witcher.

A Quiet Belief in Angels by R.J.Ellory is one of the best I have read in a long time!

I reckon she would enjoy the Scarpetta novels by Patricia Cornwell - well written, very scary and lots of weird psychopaths with complicated pathologies - along the lines of Criminal Minds.

Which i also think is great!

I've recently enjoyed lots of books by Walter Mosley - very much in the classic noir theme set in LA but really gripping and intriguing. I was also recently given a couple of the Martin Beck series by Mag Sjowell and Per Wahloo, a couple of Swedes. I think the series is mainly set in the late 60's early 70's and apparently has been inspiration for the Rebus character amongst others

On a slight tangent, has anyone read anything by tom grace?
i have just come across him & it's not the sort of thing i like, but wondered if anyone here likes his books/is interested?

Try 'Out' by Natsuo Kirino.

What about Elizabeth George - the Linley books, Donna Leon if you like Italy and food, and mistress of all, PD James!

She couldn't dislike Dorothy L Sayers, I don't think....Lord Peter Wimseys are such a good read, I'd recommend the ones with the love story threading through - Strong Poison, Have His Carcase and Busman's Honeymoon....all brilliant IMO.

Donna Leon, Anne Perry or Candace Robb might fit your bill. Also how nice that you want to do this for your MIL v rare. Hope she is recovering well.

James Patterson is good. I love Harlen Coben. I have just taken a Nikki French book out of the library - is she any good?

Yes, I was about to say Harlan Coben. Although not strictly law enforcement, there's always an FBI involvement.
Karin Slaughter's Grant County very good too, and I've just enjoyed her Fracture, her new detective is growing on me.
Lots of this genre in Tesco's at the moment - 2 for £6 and 2 for £7 range.

I second treacletart. That Mr Whicher book is fab! It's based on a true Victorian murder that scandalised society so there's lots of factual stuff and pictures - nothing gory though, no dead bodies!

It's very good! I couldn't put it down. I think I got it for about £3 in Asda. Worth every penny.

Oh i just LOVE Martina Cole and Tess Gerritsen... I love James Patterson too

Recently I've started to read non-fiction books.

There is one (cant remember the name now) where a young student writes to John Wayne Gacy and ends up visiting him in prison!! He also gets in touch with some other proper pyscho serial killers and meets some of them... Its Brilliant!!! I'll have a search and try and find the name of the author...

BRB

I loved the Tess Gerritsen books too.
Who wrote The Blood Doctor?
I also like Martina Cole but thats more criminal underworld.

"Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow" by Peter Hoeg, translated from the original Danish by Felicity David.

I can't belive no one's recommended Harlan Coben yet, he's SOOO readable. I have a fancy she'd like the one about Miss Smilla and Snow as well. Hold on a sec while I Google the proper title & author, because somehow, in a fit of madness, I passed my copy on...

Nooo - not Minette Walters;

Try Karen Rose (as a fellow Criminal Minds watcher).

Interpretation of Murder is not bad - but can be a bit turgid if she is expecting Criminal Psych & murder as provided in Criminal Minds

ALso try "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo & The Girl who played with Fire" both by Stieg Larsson

Kate Atkinson's 'When Will there be Good News' had had good reviews.

Reality just hit! I am on the internet, dur! They are by Arthur W Upfield, one is Murder Down Under, and another is The Bone is Pointed, although he has written others.

It is "The Thirteen Tale". What about some classic crime? Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, some of Daphne du Maurier etc? Does she enjoy those? You could also pick those up fairly cheaply in the charity shops.

I read a couple of crime books set in Australia about a dectective called Napolean Bonaparte, and can't think for the life of me who they were by, or what they were called! Not very helpful I know, but will ask my Mum tomorrow, she'll remember!

Mark Billingham Inspector Thorne novels are really good, also try Karin Slaughters grant county series. Stuart Macbride books and I have to say I loved Ian Rankins Rebus books.

Not a crime book as such, but definately thrilling is one called "The Thirteen Tale/Story" (sorry can't remember which!) also can't remember who it is by and DD is asleep in my bookself room!

Jeffery Deaver (wrote "The Bone Collector" - film with Denzel Washington) is good although not historical, modern day forensic type writer.

Or Teresa Gerritsen, although I have found she tends to get a bit same-y after a while for my taste.

Will check book shelves tomorrow, when DD has vacated her bed, and report back.....