Books by Claire Askew
What You Pay For
by Claire Askew
☆ Shortlisted for the 2020 CWA Gold Dagger
What You Pay For by Claire Askew is a police procedural set (as so many are these days) in Edinburgh, Scotland. The action takes place over the course of a week and it is quite gripping, a book you want to go back to reading. What's it not strong on is mystery. This is partly the publisher's fault: the blurb on the cover means there are basically no surprises in the first 100 pages and one excellent, really suspenseful passage is ruined by the fact you already know who is breaking into Detective Inspector Birch's house. But it's also not a book that particularly strives to have a clever plot: it's more about emotional anguish and tiredness—and how you could accidentally end up as a gangster—than thrilling twists and turns.
Interviews where books by Claire Askew were recommended
The Best Mystery Books of 2020
If you like mysteries, 2020 was an outstanding year, particularly in the domestic noir genre, with standouts like The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths and Magpie Lane by Lucy Atkins. There were also excellent installments in existing series, whether featuring police or non-police detectives. 2020 also saw the publication of The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman, a publishing sensation that demonstrates the continuing demand for humorous, cozy mysteries.
