“Why do we have to have violence, torture, brutality in crime dramas every time we turn on television? Any new crime drama is going to have, sooner or later, a lot of torture and nasty things that make people flinch. Lots of young people I know shrink and flinch from that kind of thing on television, so I think showing it is a mistake.”

British crime writer and novelist, active from the 1960s through the 2010s, she is best known for her psychological thrillers and detective novels, often exploring human morality and societal dysfunction. Her work spans the Inspector Wexford series and standalone novels like *The Wife in Black*, blending sharp social observation with gripping storytelling.