Paperback picks

Dive into the latest page-turners, from teenage angst to murder

The Man Who Died Twice

by Richard Osman (Penguin, £8.99) The geriatric Thursday Murder Club sleuths return but unflappable Elizabeth is unsettled when ex-husband Douglas moves into the retirement village. An MI5 spy on the run, he’s suspected of stealing diamonds from the mafia. While she can’t resist the challenge of locating the missing gems, someone else is determined to get their hands on them and the bodies pile up. The Thursday Murder Club is a tough act to follow but Osman succeeds with bells on. CHARLOTTE HEATHCOTE

The Echo Chamber

by John Boyne (Penguin, £9.99) George Cleverley’s affair threatens to derail his marriage and TV career. His wife Beverley is an under-celebrated (in her opinion) author who employs a ghost writer to turn her clichéd ideas into bestsellers. Then there are their kids – toxic Twitter warrior Elizabeth, budding blackmailer Achilles and serial liar Nelson. Fun, fierce and furious, The Echo Chamber is a riotous read. MERNIE GILMORE

We Run The Tides

by Vendela Vida (Atlantic, £8.99) Teenager Eulabee lives in a seaside enclave of 1980s San Francisco. A stranger in a car asks her and her friends for the time. Her friend Maria Fabiola insists he was touching himself and tells police. When Eulabee says she saw no such thing, her friends freeze her out. Then Maria vanishes and police search for her. But Eulabee is sure they’re wasting their time. An engrossing novel about a girl’s struggle to be true to herself. CHARLOTTE HEATHCOTE

The Stranding

by Kate Sawyer (Coronet, £8.99) Thirty-something Londoner Ruth escapes to New Zealand after a bad relationship but on arrival learns a world-ending event has wiped out any chance of returning home. She meets Nik when they seek shelter in a beached whale. This Costashortlisted novel hits all the notes of post-apocalyptic fiction. It’s also a spellbinding fantasy of trading past mistakes for a clean start. LIJA KRESOWATY