'It created Hannibal Lecter, the most iconic figure in crime since Sherlock Holmes.'

Innocent Blood by P.D. James

'It's about the estranged daughter of a murderess who seeks to be reunited with her mother. One of James' few one-offs. I always prefer one-offs.'

The House on the Strand by Daphne du Maurier

'This came out in the 1960s, just when LSD was emerging, and Du Maurier very cleverly blends hallucinogenic experiences and time travel.'

The Power and the Glory by Graham Greene

'My all-time favourite novelist. I love the agony and moral angst of his characters. This is about a 'whisky priest' in 1930's Mexico, on the run from a state which has outlawed the church.'