Ah, after the Cornwell nonsense below, all I can say is thank goodness there are writers who still give value for money. One nasty, nasty villain, one plucky heroine, a little bit of romantic conflict, twists and turns, and just enough clue dropping for the reader to go "I saw that coming" and then pulling them up with an "I didn't see that coming!"
Having been so disappointed with a recent Patricia Cornwell, I thought I would try one of the older, non-Scarpetta, books.
All I can say is, glad I got this from the library. 180 pages, 27 lines to the page, 10 words to a line, I make that (counts on fingers) under 50,000 words. Imagine paying 13 squids for 50,000 words, and then realising that it was that short because the author just couldn't be bothered to create three-dimensional characters, or sow the seeds of the solution more than about three chapters from the end. As Johnny Rotten said, "Ever had the feeling you've been cheated?"
For something called "Target", this was somewhat unfocussed. Never quite sure who to make the central character, Kernick asks us to identify with, perhaps, too wide a range of characters.
Could you have more of a contrast with James Ellroy?
A contender for most people's favourite Narnia book, and probably the least "Christian" (if you can just ignore the "lion and the lamb" section at the end), 
but so heavily anti-"progressive education" that it is more firmly rooted in the 1950s than most of the tothers (if memory serves me - it is twenty-odd years since I last read them, and then it was to my children rather than for myself).
Still has some nice fantasy concepts, and the plot packs in a remarkable diversity of action in a slim volume.
Powerful, moving, a realistic and convincing portrayal of obsession and how it damages.
Ellroy's own experiences provide a sense of perpective - whenever you wonder if someone could really feel this way, you just need to re-read Ellroy's account of how his life was damaged by early tragedy.
Hooray! Charlie Parker is back! This is something like number eight in the Parker series and I
cannot wait for numbers nine, ten, eleven...
The Parker books read with an authentic American tone; this could be any of the "C"s (Crais, Coben, Michael Connelly) but instead the author is Irish, and perhaps that's where the mystical undercurrent comes from. Sometime almost dead-straight private-eye/thrillers, every now and again Connolly delves into Parker's unusual spiritual situation. There's something more going on here than good versus evil on a mundane level.
It shouldn't work. It does work. That's the genius of John Connolly.
Oh, and do try his "Book of Lost Things", a wonderful fantasy novel.
A debut novelist with a pacily written Brit-tec policer. A woman in charge, this time, and one with the usual burden of 'issues', but a 'tec without issues would be a bland old affair - even Gran'dad Sherlock had his 'habit'. Happily, instead of a too-close relationship with the bottle and a fondness for some genre music (the regular betokeners of individuality), this one lacks both self-confidence and a regular partner. Initially a little top-heavy with the supporting cast, but the pace accelerates and, as it does so, the main characters come into sharper focus. Plenty of action, and Ms. Russell is adept at turning the plot into unexpected side streets. This one will grow into a series, and don't be surprised to see it on TV one day in the future. 
