The Truth About Ruby Cooper by Liz Nugent, Hardback, £16.99

Though she loves her older sister Erin, awkward 16-year-old Ruby Cooper has always felt a sense of envy at her brighter, better looking and more popular sibling. The pair are the privileged daughters of a happily-married, wealthy Boston couple. But Ruby’s envy will have disastrous consequences for everyone involved.

Liz Nugent’s deeply satisfying new novel is a bona fide page-turner which carries its ensemble cast from Boston to Dublin and back as Ruby’s choices reverberate through the generations. Eye-opening, wise and moving, Nugent is a master storyteller with an eye for detail and the courage to take her characters into some dark places. Revenge and redemption have never been so entertaining. 9/10

The Dangerous Stranger by Simon Mason, Hardback £16.99

During a riot outside a hotel housing asylum seekers in Oxford a young refugee is set on fire and killed – sparking national outrage. With the county’s chief constable demanding swift action, DI’s Ryan and Ray Wilkins, no relation, are tasked with bringing the offenders to justice.

But when they discover the victim was a French tourist not staying at the hotel who was attacked seconds after arriving in its car park, they must scramble to get a grip on a much more sinister and complex murder case. The fifth instalment of oddball pairing Ryan and Ray – branded “crime fiction’s most entertaining double act in decades” by Slow Horses creator Mick Herron – is a highly topical and enjoyable page turner you’ll not be able to put down. 8/10

It’s Not What You Think by Clare Mackintosh, Hardback £16.99

Clare Mackintosh enjoys a well-deserved reputation for jaw-dropping twists that leave readers quite literally gasping in shock. But the former police officer has outdone herself with this corkscrew of a novel and a plot so brilliantly conceived it upends every expectation. Nadeeka Prasanna fears her boyfriend might be cheating but the scene that greets her as she arrives home is so much worse. Jamie is dead on the floor and detectives are swarming the scene.

What follows is a masterclass in deception and duplicity, undoubtedly one of the most fiendishly gripping thrillers of recent years. Leave your assumptions at the door, It’s Not What You Think delivers in spades. 8/10

Hope Rises by David Baldacci, Hardback £22

Walter Nash was a hard-working and happy family man until master criminal Victoria Steers shattered his life, forcing him to become an informant for the FBI with only one goal – taking her down. After learning elite fighting and weapons skills, and transforming his appearance, Nash seeks to gain the trust of the crime kingpin and join her inner circle. But to get close enough to tear down her empire, he must first survive a near impossible mission for Steers in remote war-torn Myanmar.

The sequel to last November’s Nash Falls, which introduced readers to the likeable protagonist, is another pulsating thriller packed with twists and turns that Baldacci’s fans will savour. 8/10