Christopher Fowler takes risks. His two detectives, Arthur Bryant and John May, are improbably ancient. I think they were old in their WWII debut mystery, Full Dark House. He cracks endless jokes based on English popular culture, and if you can’t keep up with his references, then tough. Despite – or maybe because of this – he is hugely popular. Arthur and John return in a brutally topical tale of an illegal migrant who reaches London and re-invents himself as a lifestyle guru to gullible rich women. When a series of deaths occur on and in the Thames, Arthur and John know that Ali is connected, but proving it, and finding him, are different matters altogether. I loved the book, and to find out why, click this link.