The race to the top of the bestseller charts can be a sprint, but it can also be a marathon. These four authors are old hands rather than flash in the pans, proving that quality endures. From his first novel in 1991, Martin Edwards has maintained the high standard that led to him winning the CWA Diamond Dagger; Mick Herron became an overnight success after ten years of trying, and the outstanding Slough House series means he’s no longer crime fiction’s best kept secret; Adele Parks decided at age seven to be an author and with 24 bestselling novels and over four million books sold, it’s been an inspired decision; it’s 40 years since Andrew Taylor’s debut won the John Creasey Memorial Award, and 40 books later he’s still at the top of his game. Spring chicken Denise Mina is in the chair.