Hi Niall - At the risk of being overly pedantic, why should a critic be inclined to dismiss genre fiction, or describe it as 'mere genre fiction'? And as for there being "startling signs of life left in the old genre after all" - crime / mystery fiction has never been more vibrant, diverse and exciting. Criminality and its interpretations - or crime and punishment, as Dostoevsky put it bluntly - is as relevant now as it ever was, and arguably more so. I'm not quibbling with your review of In The Woods, mind - I'm simply saying that to suggest it's a bright beacon in a failing genre is utterly wrong. Cheers, Declan

I don't know that I would say that crime is a failing genre. Old, certainly, but if that were an offense I'd be guilty of it myself. My problem, if you want to frame it that way, is twofold: the ratio of gems to duds is - I think - decidedly unbalanced in favour of the latter, and despite the occasional standout, growing more so year on year. Again, though, in whatever medium and whatever genre you love, there's inevitably a lake of mediocrity and out-and-out rubbish to wade through before you arrive at something genuinely worthwhile.

My real issue with crime fiction is that the formula its authors employ time and again seem to me a crutch. I appreciate that the concept of a formula doesn't in itself necessitate some drastic overhaul, but in my mind it's long past time for that formula to be challenged rather than simply adapted. I don't agree that it's acceptable simply to be substitute the particulars, and so many of the writers who dominate the genre appear content to treat their narratives like an afternoon of Cluedo: crafting the same old stories but this time, stop the presses, Colonel Mustard with the candlestick in the conservatory was framed! I think we may have to agree to disagree that the genre has never been more vibrant. And that's fine. A formula is only a problem when you've tired of it. For me, In The Woods reinvigorated the bullet points I'd grown wary of.

Mostly, though, I wanted to pick up on the idea that I've any kind of problem with genre. When I wrote that 'to dismiss [In The Woods] as mere genre fiction is to miss the point', the last thing I meant was to suggest genre fiction should be dismissed - only that, too often, it is, simply for its genre. I'm unapologetic in my love for crime, horror, fantasy and sci-fi - all genres sublimated on the suspicion that they share a selection of themes which are considered, on some level, low-brow, or outright inferior. It honestly angers me that so many critics and readers alike habitually sideline such novels, with no regard for their individual merits. On that, at least, I hope we can unite.

Many thanks for sharing your thoughts though, Declan. Great to hear such considered points - and here on the internet, of all places...

Niall - Would love to disagree with you on most of what you've said above, if only for the sake of argument, but you've hit several nails squarely on the head. Yes, crime fiction needs to challenge itself (I think the increasing amount of European crime fiction coming available in translation is playing a part in that); yes, formula works (it worked fine for the classical Greeks, say) but formulaic is self-defeating, for an individual writer and for a genre in general; and I obviously took you up wrong on the 'mere genre' issue - humble apologies for that. Appreciate you taking the time to respond to my point(s), Cheers, Dec

Points well made need taking up, mate. Pleased to see someone defending the genre, at least - for all my problems with crime fiction, its a fond favourite still - and from your blog it looks like you're doing an excellent job of it. I'd be glad to hear a few of your recommendations, Dec. These translated tales in particular sound appealing; the difference the essential otherness of another culture can make can't be under-represented, the way the selfsame old that so often holds the genre back can be approached from entirely different perspective...