Like most readers, I love the feeling of a book that grips me; but what is it that makes one book so absorbing, but another similar book a bit dull? The answer for me, oddly, is that it depends on the author. I love Elizabeth Strout for her prose style and adept characterisations, but I am equally in thrall to a thriller writer such as Lee Child who hooks us from one chapter to the next by constantly raising questions and putting their characters in jeopardy. And I particularly like a hybrid. One of the many things I liked about Gone Girl was that Gillian Flynn had gone to the trouble to put themes into what was, of course, a cracking yarn. Most thriller writers wouldn't have bothered. Then there is Sarah Waters, whose books fire on every cylinder; character, plot, prose style and a fine sense of time and place. My own books are trying to achieve a little of the same. Firstly, I like a plot that grips from the outset; what if you woke up in bed handcuffed to a lover, but he was dead, presumed murdered? What if you came home one night and a complete stranger is standing in your front room claiming to be your wife? Then I like big characters who are intriguing; I once read about a Russian woman in London who was a party animal and wildly popular with the rich and famous; she was a mother of three and actually casing their houses to tell a crime syndicate what they could steal. I just knew I wanted her for a character in my next book. And then it is nice to explore the character: yes we hate that villain, but what did he actually do that makes us hate him so much? And why is he like that? Then I like vignettes about how people interact, and then I like a half time twist, and a well laid theme, and some laughs along the way, and a further twist at the end. Basically I am greedy...