1793 - الذئب والمراقب

This is not a fun or easy reading book. It kicks off with the aftermath of a particularly nasty murder and widens out to give us a picture of a brutal and uncaring society. The book revels in filth and degradation. It's an unflinching study in just how horrible people can be to each other, one that paints a picture of life as a feral bloody scramble for survival. There is perhaps one character who comes out with what you might call a happy ending (if you squint at it a bit), but, my god, it is hard won. Even the blossoming friendship between two lead characters is circumscribed by imminent death (not a spoiler, honest, it's made clear from the outset).

As I say, it's not a fun read by any means, but it is an addictive and engrossing one. The writing is very evocative of a time and place lost in confusion and moral decay, and the central story is strong enough to rank with the best of contemporary crime novels.