The month’s BEST BOOKS

LITERARY EDITOR Sarra Manning PICKS HER FAVOURITE READS…

Maybe Next Time by Cesca Major

(Harpercollins, £14.99, out 30th March) This will resonate with anyone who struggles to juggle. Emma is having a bad day. Work, kids, the dog, the husband are stressing her out, until tragedy strikes. Next morning, the same day starts again – and again – until Emma can find where she’s gone wrong.

Dirty Laundry by Disha Bose

(Viking, £14.99, out 30th March)

In an affluent village, Ciara is queen bee, Mishti is in an unhappy arranged marriage and unconventional Lauren is unafraid to make enemies. When one of them is found dead, a peek behind the Instagram filters reveals any number of suspects.

Murder Under The Tuscan Sun by Rachel Rhys

(Penguin, £8.99, out 30th March) Widow Connie leaves 1920s England for a Tuscan castle to care for stroke victim William. Also there are his niece and family. As William relapses and things go missing, Connie is tormented by a child’s cries. Is she going mad or does someone mean her harm?

No Life For A Lady by Hannah Dolby

(Aria, £16.99, out 2nd March)

It’s 1896 and Violet, 28, doesn’t care to marry – she’s more concerned with her mother’s disappearance 10 years before. When she hires a detective, she uncovers all manner of scandal, putting her own reputation at risk. A giddy romp set in Victorian Hastings.

Lady Macbethad by Isabelle Schuler

(Raven, £14.99, out 2nd March) A prequel to Macbeth, this gorgeous, poetic novel tells the story of complex Gruoch, a pagan princess destined to be queen of Alba. Masterfully written and with an unforgettable heroine, it seems a shoo-in for this year’s Women’s Prize.

Furies: Stories Of The Wicked, Wild And Untamed by various

(Virago, £16.99, out 16th March) Feminist imprint Virago marks its 50th anniversary with this collection of 15 short stories, in which writers from Margaret Atwood to Helen Oyeyemi reclaim words meant to demean women. All killer, no filler; I loved Caroline O’donoghue’s Hussy.