Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon

There are exploits; I’m not sure how glorious they are but this book doesn’t need glory to make it a triumph

The Woman who Walked into the Sea by Mark Douglas-Home

A tense tale set in coastal Scotland where enquiries about the mystery of a baby’s abandonment and her mother’s suicide stir up trouble

Ruso and the Disappearing Dancing Girls by R.S. Downie

Ruso’s life as a doctor is busy. Add rescued slave, disappearing girls, family, pedants and dogs and it gets interesting – and troubling

Yellowface by Rebecca F. Kuang

A book very much of our time where questions of authorship and cultural appropriation are rife – an interesting read

Persephone’s Beat by Echo Arnold

Imogen is surprised when she is approached by Lila, daughter of a famous MP, at a gig: it’s exciting and unexpected but is it a good thing?

The Villa of Mysteries by David Hewson

Police thriller set in Rome with engaging characters, sharp dialogue and lots of action-a modern thriller but filled with echoes of the past

The Sacrifice Box by Martin Stewart

Friends perform a ritual, entering their treasured items into a box buried in the woods. It must remain undisturbed or… So who opened it?

The Age of Treachery by Gavin Scott

A well-paced book which crosses genres into post-war thriller, murder mystery and amateur detective fiction with the odd historical cameo

Eye For An Eye by M.J. Arlidge

Controversy forms the basis of this thriller which questions our moral responsibility to young people who offend: rehabilitate or right off?