Best of the best to savour

A SNEAK preview of some of the books featured in this week’s edition of our books page. The focus falls on authors Ian Ranki, Zanna Sloniowska, Robert Galbraith and Sahm Venter this week.

With The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela, Sahm Venter has curated an astonishing collection of letters from the multitude Mandela penned during his 27 years in custody.

Included are facsimiles of some of actual letters, written in a painstakingly beautiful handwriting.

The book is an absorbing, rewarding and privileged read. It is a book to be savoured and treasured. The House with the Stained Glass Window by Zanna Sloniowska is a novel that tells the tale of four generations of women drawn into the struggle for Ukraine’s independence.

It is a gripping evocation of a city and family across a long painful century, a novel of life and survival across the ages.

Only 11 years old at the time, her daughter tells the story of their family before and after that critical moment – including, 10 years later, her own passionate affair with an older, married man.

Ian Rankin’s thriller In a House of Lies is described as a best seller. Everyone has something to hide. A missing private investigator is found locked in a car hidden deep in the woods. Worse still – both for his family and the police – is that his body was in an area that had already been searched.

Rankin’s insight into character and motive is as keen as ever. The resolution is incredibly satisfying, but is almost besides the point: we’re here for the characters, especially Rebus, whose wit remains as razorsharp as ever.

In a House of Lies encapsulates why Rankin is the grandmaster of the genre, and why Rebus remains one of its most iconic and complex creations.

Robert Galbraith is a pseudonym for JK Rowling, bestselling author of the Harry Potter series and The Casual Vacancy.

You will love the plot and being in the company of the characters plus you will admire the author’s insights.

Don’t miss Friday’s edition of the Cape Times, and as always, we include QR codes for you to order books instantly from Loot.co.za