The Course of Love by Alain de Botton

Such an unusual novel: it reads rather like a single case study in social psychology or a fly on the wall television documentary, which sees a couple through stages in their relationship with a running commentary to consider what is going on at deeper levels.  It is wry, wise, funny and tender but also oddly objective and interpretative.  It is easy to forget that it is a novel.  It makes for interesting and entertaining reading.

Hitman Anders and the meaning of it all by Jonas Jonasson

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A thoroughly charming, engaging, and genre-bending novel which mixes crime thriller with romance, comedy and a bit of light-hearted philosophy to result in a jolly good read.  The main characters are the recidivist Hitman Anders, a priest and a receptionist, and a cast of hoodlums and ne'er do wells.  Serving the masses and survival are the aims, as well as seeking the meaning of it all.  A mirthful Scandi noir and a truly enjoyable book.

If you liked Jonas Jonasson's previous books (The Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared, The Girl Who Saved the King of Sweden) you will be reassured to know that this story is as bonkers as those - all part of the charm. It made me think about morality, and it made me laugh out loud. 

From Here to Home by Marie Bostwick

This story makes for satisfying reading.  The main characters are  strong and resourceful women and some unusual menfolk, and it is set mainly in the little town of Too Much, Texas, where there are lessons to be learned about the importance of doing what you love.  Horses and making patchwork quilts are central to this tale, as are family and romance.  It's  a really enjoyable book.

Girl in the Ice by Robert Bryndza

Such a thrilling thriller: tautly plotted, peopled by well-drawn and convincing characters, with suspense and suprises aplenty.  DCI Erica Foster may be on her first outing with Robert Bryndza, but she comes with a strong and tragic back story as well as a fine investigative instinct and good leadership skills.  Newly arrived in London, she hits the ground running when required to head up a politically sensitive murder enquiry.  The situation escalates and she faces incredible challenges from outside influences and interference, as well as personal danger.  As the cover says, it's a serial killer thriller, blessed with pace and fine writing.  I am so glad there is not long to wait before Erica is back in the incident room on a new case, she's a great character.

The Ninth Life by Clea Simon

A most unusual novel featuring a new partnership of private investigators: Care the girl and Blackie the cat.  The book is written from the cat's eye view and it is a fascinating and remarkably successful device, as girl and cat pit their wits and their senses to solve a taxing murder mystery.  It is a delight to read and a pleasure to experience the developing relationship between the two main characters.  I'll be hoping to cross patch with them again.

The Woman in Blue by Elly Griffiths

I've been missing Elly Griffith's heroine, archeologist Ruth Galloway, for a while, so was thrilled to have the opportunity to read this new tale in the series.  Time surely flies, as her little Kate is now old enough to go to school and they are blessed with a very flexible childminder so that Ruth can pursue her academic career as well as getting involved in helping to solve murder cases in close co-operation with Kate's father, Harry Nelson and their druid pal, Cathbad,  There is more suspense than archeology in this adventure, except that Ruth comes up with a pivotal piece of evidence in the course of her investigations.  The book is atmospheric and well written, and the developing background story of the character's relationships develops in counterpoint to a threatening series of crimes that kept me guessing.

Viral by Helen Fitzgerald

Stupendous, topical novel: beautifully if strongly written, heart-rending and thought provoking.  I  believe this book would make an excellent book club choice because it raises so many important, discussion-worthy issues and questions as well as being a jolly good read.   A twenty-first century nightmare that feels so close to home, a conundrum of who is a victim and what is a crime, an exploration of nature versus nurture, a coming of age story - Viral encompasses all of this and more.  Brilliant.

The Promise by Alison Bruce

I have been missing Gary Goodhew, Alison Bruce's unusual, maverick police detective and his Cambridge-based crime solving. The Promise has been a while coming but this story is a cracker: a pacey thriller which makes compulsive and rewarding reading. There is a complex mystery to be solved as a murder is discovered, and meanwhile the characters we have come to know in this excellent series of novels develop in new and interesting directions. I couldn't put it down.

The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood

A brilliantly crafted novel, full of suspense and a tangled web of deceit  spun from self-interest and merciless manipulation..  Secrets can be a most destructive force within the family, and Sean Jackson's family is more complicated than most, with his serial marriages.  This story explores loyalty and contrasts the perfidy of the supposedly responsible adults with the innocence of the children, and has resonance with familiar news stories.  Some of the characters are unsympathetic, whilst others grow on the reader as the tale progresses.  A psychological thriller that is engaging and compulsive reading, an absolute treat.