ISLE of Man based crime writer Chris Ewan launched his latest book at the Lexicon Bookshop in Douglas in May.

The Good Thief's Guide to Venice was the latest in Chris' series of The Good Thief's Guide books which follow the adventures of Charlie Howard - a struggling crime writer by day and a talented thief by night.

The Guardian had high praise for the book. It said: "Enjoyable mayhem...ancient buildings explode, gambling cartels disintegrate, Charlie topples into a canal and secondhand book dealers meet gruesome ends in this engaging and well-paced crime caper."

At the launch in Douglas Chris signed copies of the book and the others in the series - The Good Thief's Guide to Amsterdam, The Good Thief's Guide to Paris and The Good Thief's Guide to Las Vegas.

The books have been published worldwide.

Update: Chris is currently working on his next book in the series - The Good Thief’s Guide to Berlin. His first stand alone thriller The Safe House will be published in August next year.

This story is part of isleofman.com's Review of the Year 2011.