Bookshelf: Stephen King, Louise Doughty and more

End Of Watch by Stephen King. Hodder & Stoughton, £20 (ebook £13.99). Review by Roddy Brooks
End Of Watch by Stephen KingEnd Of Watch by Stephen King
End Of Watch by Stephen King

Private investigator Bill Hodges knows time is running out. That leaves him with little time to catch a killer. And what makes it worse for Hodges is it’s a killer he already knows. But nobody will believe Hodges when he tries to tell them it’s Brady Hartsfield, the man hell-bent on mass murder from Mr Mercedes, the opening part of Stephen King’s suspense-packed thriller trilogy. Hodges and unorthodox sidekick Holly Gibney need to unravel the latest mystery surrounding the suicide-obsessed Hartsfield. King needs no introduction and the final story in this trilogy is sure to put him right back at the top of the bestseller charts.

• Daisy In Chains by Sharon Bolton. Bantam Press, £12.99 (ebook £7.99). Review by Shereen Low

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For her latest stand-alone book, Oxford-based crime novelist Sharon Bolton focuses on the story of Hamish Wolfe, a good-looking and charming surgeon who has been locked up for life, accused of abducting and killing three women. He is convinced that blue-haired true crime writer and lawyer Maggie Rose could get him off the hook and potentially prove his innocence. Each page – along with the letters and documents interlinking chapters – reveals more of Wolfe’s past and the case’s background, thus drawing the reader in. Daisy In Chains is intriguing, complex, full of suspense and gripping until the very end.

• Black Water by Louise Doughty. Faber & Faber, £12.99 (ebook £5.03). Review by Heather Doughty

The setting for Louise Doughty’s ruthless and ambitious novel is in beautiful and mysterious Indonesia, where, between 1965 and 1966, half a million communists and sympathisers were murdered under parliamentary rule. The novel opens with John Harper, waiting in a shack on a remote island, terrified that a gang has been hired to kill him. We are drip-fed John’s story in fits and starts, which can be a little frustrating at times, but Doughty cleverly manages to provide the reader with many different lenses through which we can view John’s past. Black Water is a truly gripping read.

• Hole In The Heart: Bringing Up Beth by Henny Beaumont. Myriad Editions, priced £16.99. Review by Georgina Rodgers

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On Mother’s Day 2004, the author Henny Beaumont gave birth to her third daughter, Beth. For the first few hours of her life, she seemed the same as her first two daughters and all they wanted to do was to take her home and show her off to her sisters. However, soon afterwards, a diagnosis of Down’s Syndrome was confirmed and Henny’s world fell apart. This graphic book – illustrated in beautiful, raw and moving pictures – describes the family’s deeply personal journey. Refreshingly honest and at times very funny, Hole In The Heart will resonate with all parents as a wonderful expression of love.

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