My life in books: ‘I’m a firm believer in the right book finding you at the right moment’
Jane Casey: 'I re-read an Agatha Christie every few months, to remind myself how it’s done.' File picture: Jonathan Goldberg
Jane Casey is a best-selling crime writer, originally from Dublin and now based in London.
I always have a stack of upcoming books to read, generally months before they come out which is why authors are the worst people to ask for book recommendations.
At the moment, it’s Sarah Hilary’s , the second in her new series, and by Amanda Cassidy.
One of Mary Stewart’s romantic suspense thrillers from the 1950s, set in glamorous locations — is a favourite.
by Nathaniel Hawthorne. It’s so short but I found it too depressing to read.
by Donna Tartt, which I read as a teenager. It’s an intoxicating combination of beautiful writing, memorable characters, humour, and murder.
by Catherine Ryan Howard. I thought it was so clever and different from anything else I’d ever read.
by EB White. It was the first book that betrayed me by not giving me the ending I expected or wanted. (It’s a masterpiece, obviously.)
by Helen Garner, an account of a notorious murder trial in Australia.
It really made me think about the purpose and functioning of the legal system as well as the specific question of whether the accused was guilty or not.
, Helen Garner’s collected diaries, which are very short and intermittent pieces of writing about her life that come together to make a compelling story.
It taught me the art of observation is enough by itself. It made me look at the world differently.
I can think of a few scandals that would benefit from a no-holds-barred, full account — but we’ll never get them.
I don’t think there’s one book that everyone will love: I’m a firm believer in the right book finding you at the right moment.
But I do think it’s worth reading outside your usual area now and then. Booksellers and librarians have the best recommendations; don’t leave it to an algorithm.
is the one that comes to mind, although it was a TV adaptation.
It was so beautifully done, the acting was perfect and the spirit of the book came through every frame.
My happy place is Hodges Figgis in Dublin — so much so that I mentioned it in my new book.
Wandering around Hodges Figgis introduced me to so many brilliant writers when I was younger.
I aspire to organisation but I like to shelve books by theme, not genre — so all the 20th century history and biography is with 20th century fiction and poetry, for instance, rather than having a section for history.
My husband is a big reader too. I’ve had to start reading more ebooks because the number of books in our house was unmanageable, but he’s dedicated to paper.
A decent cup of tea and some chocolate: you can’t do better than that.
There are so many — I sometimes feel book characters are more real to me than the people around me.
My longest relationship is with Hercule Poirot, who I first discovered aged eight and still love.
I re-read an Agatha Christie every few months, to remind myself how it’s done.
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