SO HERE'S A QUESTION

Many years ago I wrote a detective novel. At the time I wrote it, I set it in what was at the time the present day (the early 1980's). Although I had an agent to represent it, it did not sell and so after a while I moved on to other projects. Many years later, my first novel, Gideon's Ghost, was published, giving me at least a little cred.

With that behind me I decided to revisit that old novel and see whether there was anything I could do with it. What I determined was that the plot is pretty strong, but the writing style needs some work (read: complete overhaul). So as long as I am doing that, should I leave the story in the 1980.s, bring it forward into the present or take it back to, say, the 1950's or 1960's? I guess the question is, for detective fiction, which time period seems more attractive to readers?

I'd be interested in comments from anyone who cares to do so.