popular fiction

A SECRET GARDEN by Katie Fforde ( Penguin Random House, $ 37)

Chick lit that fits the very definition, Fforde’s latest follows two women, Philly and Lorna, working together in the garden at a country house and who have both been unlucky in love. This changes when Lucien walks into Philly’s life and Jack returns to Lorna’s world. What follows is predictable and light and you can read it without feeling attached in any way to the characters or story. If that’s what you want, great! If not, don’t expect more than a sunshine read and another book for the shelf.

THE HIDDEN HOURS by Sara Foster ( Simon and Schuster, $ 35)

This thriller- mystery is my kind of mystery ( sans the blood and guts). It’s told from the point of view of 21- yearold Eleanor, who has moved to London to escape her previous life in Australia. One morning, after a work party, Eleanor learns her boss is dead and she can’t remember where she was when this would have happened. Two stories begin to unfold with a Girl on

the Train vibe in the elements of memory loss and the way it keeps you guessing at every page. Easily my top read this week.

AYESHA’S GIFT by Martin Sixsmith ( Simon and Schuster, $ 38)

From the author of the bestselling Philomena, this is a fascinating and compelling read based on a true story about corruption and family honour in Pakistan. Sixsmith works with Ayesha to uncover how her kind and gentle father is killed on a trip back to Pakistan from London. Pakistani police say it was suicide but Ayesha can’t and won’t believe it. Finding the truth takes her from her safe London existence into a dangerous world, with Sixsmith there for the full journey, in person and in the narrative. Their journey together is extraordinarily moving.