A Particularly Nasty Case by Adam Kay (Orion, £20)
The first novel for adults from the author of bestselling medical memoir This Is Going to Hurt is, unsurprisingly, set in an NHS hospital. Dr Eitan Rose is a hot mess of guilt and self-hatred who buys cocaine from the hospital pharmacist to put in his nasal spray and has a talent for getting himself caught in comically compromising positions. Admittedly, the unexpected death by heart attack of his old enemy, consultant Dr Douglas Moran, does get him out of a tight corner. However, given that the man had just recorded a normal electrocardiogram, Eitan is suspicious – although the police see nothing amiss until his attempts to investigate cause him to become the number one suspect. The mixture of hospital soap, humour – some of it, such as the porter named Cole, rather laboured – and serious point-making won’t work for every reader, but Eitan’s manic energy carries us through what is, on the whole, a zippy and enjoyable read.
Murder Takes a Vacation by Laura Lippman (Faber, £9.99)
Lighter in tone than her previous books, bestselling American writer Lippman’s latest novel puts Muriel Blossom, a supporting actor in the author’s PI Tess Monaghan series, centre stage. The sixtysomething widow is on her first trip to Europe but her plans go awry when she meets the charming Allan on her flight to London and misses her connection. After a delightful day spent in his company, Mrs Blossom continues to Paris as planned, but things take an unexpected turn when she learns that her erstwhile companion has died in suspicious circumstances and it becomes clear that somebody is taking a great deal of interest in the contents of her luggage. And who is the mysterious Danny Johnson, who seems to want to be her new best friend? Masterful plotting and pacing, elements of American-in-Europe-style romantic comedy, a lightness of touch and a delightful protagonist add up to a top-notch holiday read.
The Final Vow by MW Craven (Constable, £20)
The seventh instalment in Craven’s award-winning series sees grumpy maverick cop Washington Poe recalled from a punishment posting on a Royal Navy/Border Force initiative – we catch up with him as he’s bludgeoning a recalcitrant colleague with a halibut – for the purpose of tracking down a sniper who is causing widespread panic by picking people off, apparently at random, in different locations. There’s plenty of action and some splendid set pieces, including Poe’s visit to trauma therapist Dr Clara Lang, who, it’s fair to say, has some issues of her own. The central “odd couple” relationship between Poe and filterless genius Tilly Bradshaw provides some light relief, as does Poe’s upcoming wedding to sarcastic pathologist Estelle Doyle. Craven sticks to his tried-and-tested formula, complete with a trademark smattering of fascinating facts, and although the dramatic ending is somewhat undermined by an information dump explaining events, this is a high-octane thriller that won’t disappoint.
The Dead Husband Cookbook by Danielle Valentine (Viper, £16.99)
When editor Thea is offered a chance to work on a celebrity chef’s tell-all memoir, she jumps at it. Maria Capello not only has a cookery empire – books, a television show and a range of sauces – but she also has a mystery in her life: the chef husband who disappeared 30 years earlier, about whom speculation has long been rife. She is, however, paranoid about leaks, and insists that Thea work on the book at her farm in the Catskill mountains. The place is not quite the Instagrammer’s dream Thea had imagined: it’s isolated and foreboding, with a slaughterhouse on the premises, strange family members and a walk-in freezer that may contain something more than animal carcasses … Atmospheric, suspenseful and studded with interesting recipes (I can vouch for the spiced pear galette), this is a compelling take on marriage, motherhood, love, and the sacrifices that women are routinely expected to make.
