The Laughing Policeman by Maj Sjöwall and Per Wahlöö It is clear from her writing, however, that James understands human behaviour, and I can’t think of another novelist who can write about England so well. James’ conservatism is evident in the early chapters, and she makes a strong case that you can’t legislate human behaviour. A sub-plot involves the murdered girl’s father plotting his revenge.

What follows is not a straight forward murder mystery, but a revealing character study with plenty of suspense. When Phillipa takes advantage of a new law allowing her to contact her biological parents, she discovers they were convicted of the rape and murder of a young girl. Phillipa Palfrey is the adopted daughter of a well- to- do couple. The Cordelia Gray novels are excellent, the Adam Dalgliesh novels are even better, but my favourite so far is the standalone work Innocent Blood (1980). James in the last year or two, and I think she is just one helluva of a great writer. It reinvented crime writing and I realised that, if you want to write the best crime book, then you have to write better than Ellroy.’ David Peace summed up the novel’s power: ‘His novel White Jazz was the Sex Pistols for me. The first time I read this novel, I was shaking with excitement, exhilaration and fear when I got to the last page.

Narrated by LAPD Lieutenant Dave ‘the Enforcer’ Klein, White Jazz involves Mob contract killings, the Battle of Chavez Ravine, historical characters (including Jack Dragna, Mickey Cohen, Sam Giancana and Howard Hughes), a beautiful femme fatale and a grade Z horror movie. The plotting is labyrinthine and almost impossible to summarise in just a few words. Right now I’m thinking it’s White Jazz (1992) as its just the most daring and subversive in terms of its depiction of LA and noir as a genre. I’m a fan of all of Ellroy’s novels and my favourite varies according to my mood. Looking back over my seven years of doctoral study, I’ve been thinking a lot about crime novels that gave me a great deal of pleasure in between the endless drafting, redrafting and editing of my thesis, so I thought I’d talk a little about them here. I’m planning to continue publishing my research on James Ellroy both on this blog and, hopefully, in book form.

I do have some corrections to make, but I have essentially completed my PhD. Last month I had the viva for my thesis and I passed.

Innocent blood pd james review