The Golden Age whoddunnit, in which the puzzle was paramount, gave way in the Forties and Fifties to the psychological crime novel, where the personalities of the participants were at least as important as the detail of which one of them committed a murder.
Since then, there have been many attempts to bridge the gap between the two styles of crime fiction, and few have been as successful as the books of Jill McGown.
In most she uses regular characters, Chief Inspector Lloyd and Sergeant Judy Hill. Who are both professionally and personally involved Without breaking the conventions - and restrictions - of whodunnit plotting, McGown always manages to people her books with characters who are entirely believable, fascinating human beings.
This is a rare skill, which should be more widely recognised. Jill McGown is one of the most seriously underrated crime novelists around. Titles include Redemption and The Other Woman.
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