Loveless couple Richard and Valerie live in Provence with their teenage son Max.
They spend a lot of time talking and drinking with their neighbours, Rachel and Jeff. Rachel dreams of helping children in Africa, but self-obsessed Jeff cannot stan
d her Christian beliefs.
All hell breaks loose when Rachel discovers her husband is having an affair with Valerie. But the new lovers soon find out that life with a new partner can be just as difficult as living with their former spouses.
None of these self-centred characters are likeable, but Richard seems to come out as the unlikely hero as he finds himself again amid the wreckage of his crumbling life. This novel is not easy to read, and can be confusing at times, but it's intriguing to see the relationships unfold.
Sweetheart
Chelsea Cain (Macmillan hardback,£12.99)Chelsea Cain's second novel sees the return of beautiful killer Gretchen Lowell and the "victim" she fell in love with, Detective Archie Sheridan.
Gretchen is now in prison and Archie visits her to find out about other people she has killed, but there is still a sexual frisson between them.
Meanwhile, Archie has to solve the case of a decomposed female body and the mysterious deaths of a politician and a top journalist. His colleague Susan Ward, was about to expose the Senator as a rapist and blackmailer, so what were they doing together in a car that swerved off the Fremont Bridge?
This book is a fast-paced, page-turner and grabs your attention from the first chapter. There's also a crafty twist at the end.
The Broken Window
Jeffrey Deaver (Hodder and Stoughton hardback, £16.99)This gripping thriller from the master of suspense sees the return of quadriplegic detective Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs.
The pair are investigating a murder allegedly committed by Rhyme's cousin Arthur. But they soon find this killing – and others – are the work of a serial killer who cleverly plants evidence to frame others using personal information gained from a data collection company.
Classic Deaver twists and turns are here in abundance and it's also a worrying reflection on the information which can be gained about us by what we do. Scary stuff.
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