Eight Detectives by Alex Pavesi

In Alex Pavesi’s debut novel, young book editor Julia Hart travels to a remote village in the hope of convincing Grant McAllister, a reclusive writer, to republish his collection of detective stories. McAllister knows the rules for murder mysteries: there must be victims, suspects, detectives and a murder, and all his stories follow this formula. However, Hart is quick to spot inconsistencies within his work, which point to a real life murder. Eight Detectives is a clever premise, but one that doesn’t quite get off the ground and lacks the suspense of a memorable murder mystery. Mini mysteries throughout the book pay homage to some of the best in the genre, however, the stories feel rushed and the main two characters are rather underdeveloped, leaving the ending a little unsatisfying.

6/10

A Dutiful Boy: A Memoir Of A Gay Muslim’s Journey To Acceptance by Mohsin Zaidi

Mohsin Zaidi’s autobiography sets a scene where coming out seems inconceivable. It chronicles the author’s coming of age in a devout Shia Muslim community in east London: a community where the expression of his sexuality would lead to instant ostracisation from family members and friends. That Zaidi won the fight is evident in the way he became the first pupil from his school to attend Oxford University, going on to become a distinguished barrister working at The Hague on a war crimes trial. A Dutiful Boy details in a delicate and highly engrossing fashion the battles he was forced to wage every step of the way – both with those around him, and deep within himself.