h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Who you choose to study is going to depend on what you want to write, isn't it?

When it comes to thrillers, John Le Carre is exceptional. The novels featuring George Smiley are full of evocative details and psychological insights. I don't think the later ones are as good, though I liked 'The Constant Gardener.'
I also liked Robert Harris's 'Pompeii', because the picture of old Pompeii is so vivid you can almost smell the sulphur.

When it comes to literary fiction, Rose Tremain is one of my favourite writers. 'Music and Silence' is a multi-stranded book, with the strands exploring various kinds of love - and lots of points of view. She's good at creating quirky characters -'Sacred Country' centres on a girl, Mary, who's convinced that she ought to be a boy. One of the messages I got from it was that it's OK to be different, because we're all a bit quirky!

As for courtroom dramas, I like John Mortimer's Rumpole of the Bailey stories, which manage to combine suspense with humour.

But John Le Carre was an intelligence officer, and John Mortimer was a barrister. If you haven't got the background, you need to do lots of research.

Good point. And exactly what I was trying to suggest. Find those who write well at the sort of thing that interests you. It doesn't have to be the choice someone else would make.