5 new books to read this week

Mysteries top our list this week, with new releases from Lynda La Plante and Jo Nesbo…

Fiction

1. Sudden Death by Lynda La Plante is published in hardback by Zaffre, priced £22 (ebook £14.99). Available now

Sudden Death is a departure from the forensic crime novels Lynda La Plante has become known for. Instead of a police procedural, this is more of a mystery – and a gripping one, at that. When his sister falls ill, struggling author Michael is hired to chaperone 17-year-old Clara around Paris. It’s a strange experience – she has an almost infinite amount of money, along with a rude and abrasive personality. It soon becomes clear she’s hunting down family secrets – and Michael becomes embroiled in the tangled web, and is just as keen to find out the truth. La Plante shows her writing talents also lie outside of the police station in Sudden Death, which is full of memorable characters and an expertly weaved storyline – making for a fast-paced and gripping read.
8/10
(Review by Prudence Wade)

2. High Tide by Livia Franchini is published in paperback by Doubleday, priced £16.99 (ebook £6.99). Available now

This is a complicated, mysterious and immersive read, which focuses on topics of love, loss, art and relationships. The book centres around Peter, a young artist who vanishes off the coast of Tuscany – and days later, his body washes ashore. Thirty years later, his widow, Marie, has become infamous in her own right, but no-one knows the woman behind the pen name, or the memories she has suppressed. The book keeps you guessing throughout, and the chapters, which are written from the different time periods, keep you on your toes. The vivid, evocative descriptions draw you into another world, while the circumstances surrounding Peter’s death, and his complicated friendships, bring you back to reality and make you realise how complex humans are. While dark and tense at times, there are moments of light and beauty – and Livia Franchini’s writing is wonderfully descriptive.
7/10
(Review by Ellie Fleming)

3. Kill Shot by Jo Nesbo is published in hardback by Harvill, priced £22 (ebook £11.99). Available now

Jo Nesbo fans know the drill by now. A serial killer is targeting Oslo with innovative and gory methods, with only one man possessing the necessary wits and grit to catch them – Harry Hole. The grizzled detective is now appearing in his 14th novel, the first to be released in the wake of his TV debut where he is played by Tobias Santelmann, and the filmification of the Hole universe is evident here as the murderer is dispatching his victims with brutal methods pulled from famous movies (think Se7en and Zodiac). Hole’s depiction here seems to markedly resemble his screen portrayal by Santelmann, with his ‘Talk to me’ catchphrase is trotted out at an almost-parodic rate, while the character is more sensible and sober than ever after thousands of pages of alcoholic chaos over his carnage-crammed career caseload. The whodunnit is appropriately gripping, twisty and well-crafted to satisfy the appetites of Nesbo lovers, but Kill Shot will leave you wondering what character progression is possible for Hole in the inevitable sequel.
7/10
(Review by James Cann)

Non-fiction

4. True North by Paul Theroux is published in hardback by Hamish Hamilton, priced £22 (ebook £11.99). Available now

Paul Theroux begins his 12th travel book by insisting it will be his last. There is, he maintains, nowhere new to go, and no more left to say. Long having abandoned the “dehumanising” experience of flying, he has resorted to a trilogy of North American road trips, of which True North – subtitled ‘On The Road In Canada’, is his third. For Theroux, this means a deep exploration of his family ancestry in Quebec, and a longer, and certainly more elusive, quest to establish the nature of Canadian identity elsewhere. Well into his ninth decade, Theroux’s natural inquisitiveness remains razor-sharp, and it is in his conversations with the everyday folk of fast-food outlets and motel check-in desks that he is at his best. True North is not his lightest read: his family history and ruminations on immigration are long and complex. But there is enough here to raise hope that Theroux will reverse his decision to drive off into the sunset.
7/10
(Review by Mark Staniforth)

Children’s book of the week

5. The Bat Who Didn’t Like The Dark by Steve Small is published in hardback by Simon & Schuster Children’s UK, priced £12.99 (ebook £6.99). Available now

Bats generally like the dark – but not the one in Steve Small’s latest colourful book for youngsters. The award-winning children’s book author and illustrator takes a little bat on a daytime journey in a bid to make new friends. By the time he returns to the woods, it’s dark and he can’t find the Old Oak Tree where he lives, jumping in fear after hearing an owl hoot. The little bat then goes on a journey through the forest – joined by a procession of nighttime creatures along the way. There’s a sweet message at the end of the book – particularly when the bat looks into the sky and sees stars he hadn’t noticed before. Small has been skilfully illustrating children’s books for many years, and his latest might just help youngsters overcome their fear of the dark.
7/10
(Review by Alan Jones)

BOOK CHARTS FOR THE WEEK ENDING NOVEMBER 7

HARDBACK (FICTION)
1. Crown Me Dead by Liv Zander
2. Crown Me Yours by Liv Zander
3. The Ballad of Falling Dragons Deluxe Edition by Sarah A Parker
4. A Court of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J Maas
5. Chain Reaction by Lee Child and Andrew Child
6. The Wolves of War, by John Gwynne
7. Defy the Dusk by Danielle L. Jensen
8. Royal Witch by Philippa Gregory
9. The Hollow by Michael Connelly
10. Kill Shot by Jo Nesbo
(Compiled by Waterstones)

HARDBACK (NON-FICTION)
1. The State of This! A Thicky Thicky Dumb Dumb’s Guide to British Politics by Cody Dahler
2. One Day a Cat Came to Me by Bokyeong Sunim
3. Private Eye Annual 2026 by Ian Hislop
4. My Pressures: The Bizarrely True Story of Andy Serkis by Andy Serkis
5. Steps in Time:The Moments that Made Me by Anton Du Beke
6. Guinness World Records 2027
7. Drive: A Memoir by Christian Horner
8. 20 Minute Meals: Real Fast Food by Jamie Oliver
9. Is It Too Late To Make A Run For It? By Judi Dench
10. Pay Attention by Laura Kuenssberg
(Compiled by Waterstones)

AUDIOBOOKS (FICTION AND NON-FICTION)
1. A Court Of Splintered Harmony by Sarah J. Maas
2. The Witch by Freida McFadden
3. Dungeon Crawler Carl by Matt Dinniman
4. Chain Reaction by Lee Child & Andrew Child
5. We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman
6. Is It Too Late To Make A Run for It? by Judi Dench
7. Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling
8. Carl’s Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman
9. London Falling by Patrick Radden Keefe
10. Mad Mabel by Sally Hepworth
(Compiled by Audible)