This month’s best books

Literary editor Sarra Manning picks her five favourite reads for February

Again, Rachel by Marian Keyes

(Michael Joseph, £20, out 17th February)

A new Marian Keyes novel is always welcome, especially when it’s a sequel to the iconic Rachel’s Holiday. It’s been 25 years, and Rachel is now an addictions counsellor and seemingly doing fine. But when Luke Costello re-enters her life, Rachel begins to see that maybe she’s not that fine after all.

Love Marriage by Monica Ali

(Virago, £18.99, out 3rd February) Storyteller extraordinaire Monica Ali returns with the tale of junior doctor Yasmin, who gets engaged to her dashing colleague Joe. This brings Yasmin’s traditional Indian immigrant parents, Ma and Baba, into the orbit of Joe’s mother, Harriet, an outspoken feminist, with unexpected repercussions for both families. Wise, warm and utterly compelling.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson

(Michael Joseph, £14.99, out 3rd February) In Oprah we trust, because she’s already optioned the TV rights for the wonderful Black Cake. From Jamaica to California by way of London, estranged siblings Byron and Benny reunite at their mother’s funeral and discover a legacy of family secrets – some shocking, some sad – which force them to re-evaluate their own lives. Engrossing, ambitious and full of twists, this novel is absolutely worth the calories.

Love & Saffron by Kim Fay

(Two Roads, £12.99, out 8th February)

In 1962, Joan, a young Californian, sends a letter and a gift of saffron to her favourite columnist, Imogen, who’s twice her age and lives near Seattle. A friendship is formed through the post as the two women write about their love of food, the sourcing of exotic ingredients like fresh garlic (!) and how their culinary adventures make both of them see the world anew. This charming, effervescent and occasionally heartbreaking read deserves to be a bestseller.

Notes On An Execution by Danya Kukafka

(Phoenix, £16.99, out 3rd February)

On Death Row, murderer Ansel Packer contemplates his last hours, but we learn about the man he really is from the three women in his life. His mother, Lavender, who was a 17-year-old runaway; his wife’s twin, Hazel, who watches Ansel steal her sister away; and Saffy, the detective who brings him to justice. Not just another story about a serial killer, this is exquisitely written.