Bestselling mystery and suspense novelist and screenwriter Anthony Horowitz has published over 50 books for adults and for children, including the Alex Rider teen-spy series, and created the “Foyle’s War” drama series for TV. Here, he picks six of his favourite books. His latest Detective Hawthorne book, “A Deadly Episode”, is out now.
A Kiss Before Dying
Ira Levin, 1953
It’s hard to believe this brilliantly structured story of a psychopathic killer and the three women who are his targets was the debut of a 23-year-old. The killer speaks to you as he cold-bloodedly moves in on his victims. But you don’t know who he is.
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The Modesty Blaise series
Peter O’Donnell, 1965-1985
I’ve always loved this series. His female Bond, a crime boss turned superspy, is a terrific creation and her “capers” are endlessly entertaining. It’s sad that Quentin Tarantino, a fan, never got round to making the film. And sadder still that Joseph Losey did – it tanked!
Thérèse Raquin
Émile Zola, 1867
There has never been a more profound exploration of murder and its consequences. It’s a dark novel in which the two lovers are destroyed by guilt, with a tense atmosphere as suppurating as a wound.
The Flashman series
George MacDonald Fraser, 1969-2005
Another lifelong favourite. The adventures of a Victorian rogue, coward and womaniser are so politically incorrect that it may now be illegal to read them. But they’re huge fun and a kaleidoscope of Victorian history.
Bleak House
Charles Dickens, 1852
Dickens has always been my mainstay and this masterpiece – an examination of the horrors of the Court of Chancery seen through the never-ending case of Jarndyce v. Jarndyce – includes, among a brilliant array of characters, the first detective in British literature.
Prisoners of the Sun
Hergé, 1949
Tintin was the first character I loved, and this – with its partner, “The Seven Crystal Balls” – is arguably Hergé’s finest work, with a breathtaking climax as Tintin escapes being burned alive. His stories inspire me to this day.
