Mars One by Charlotte Robinson, Hardback, £20
When the most ambitious space flight ever attempted -– a one-way journey to Mars – goes catastrophically wrong, leaving time, oxygen and trust fast running out, astronaut Alyssa Wright suspects sabotage from the inside. At the same time, a coder vanishes from his home in Hong Kong, leaving his sister on the run with the only thing that can save him.
This explosive debut skilfully blends an edge-of-the-seat space adventure with a conspiracy thriller on Earth – especially timely with the world recently having been gripped by the real-life Artemis II Moon mission. Propulsive and epic in scope, Mars One is hugely enjoyable and marks the author as one to watch. 9/10
Turn The Dial For Death by Jeremy Vine, Hardback, £20
New novelists are often told to write what they know and broadcaster Jeremy Vine has done just that – at least as far as his hero is concerned. Veteran radio presenter turned sleuth Edward Temmis, introduced in last year’s Murder On Line One, is back with another charming Devon-set mystery, this time trying to help clear the name of a woman accused of killing her doctor husband by shooting him with a crossbow.
It’s a tricky one, especially while Edward is juggling a crisis at the Sidmouth radio station where he hosts the evening show. Topical references include anti-vaxxers, diversity in broadcasting and fox hunting, Vine wisely never strays far from good, old-fashioned whodunnit. 8/10
A River Red With Blood by John Connolly, Hardback, £22
There can’t be many crime series that, 23 books in, have managed to maintain such consistently brilliant standards. But Connolly’s Maine-set Charlie Parker novels show no sign of attrition. A River Red With Blood is another absolute corker from Ireland’s best mystery writer. Hired to investigate the death of a teenager at a remote school for troubled kids, Parker is soon on the trail of something much more sinister.
Meanwhile, troubling new facts are emerging about the investigator and his colleagues, Angel and Louis. Connolly has said he knows “the title of the last book and how it ends” and there’s a sense events are accelerating towards a final resolution here. Utterly gripping. 9/10
1996 by Dominic Mohan, Hardback, £20
They say if you can remember the sixties, you weren’t there. Whether it’s the same for the nineties remains to be seen but Dominic Mohan definitely was there – enjoying a front-row seat for Britpop and Cool Britannia as showbiz editor of a tabloid newspaper. His dazzling account of the “wildest year of Britain’s wildest decade” is a reminder of just how exciting life was as the UK flexed her cultural muscles globally and prepared for New Labour.
From hanging out with Oasis and Robbie Williams to interviewing everyone from David Bowie to The Spice Girls, 1996 is a brilliant romp through a time when the country felt less divided and pessimistic. Frankly, we could do with a bit more 1996 now. 8/10.