Our world on the brink

NEVER Ken Follett Macmillan, £20

Ken Follett is back with another epic novel: a weighty contemporary thriller exploring just how easily we could descend into World

War Three. Never spans the globe with a host of authentic characters and evocative locations; from the first female US president juggling global diplomacy and domestic opposition, to a CIA agent deep undercover in the Sahara Desert, and a young senior government official in China trying to drag communist traditionalists into the present day. A master storyteller, Follett has a talent for creating a tale that’s vast in scale, yet richly detailed. Each character arc could be a standalone novel – together they make an ambitious and compelling narrative, exploring the consequences of international power play and the chilling imminence of global catastrophe.

REBECCA WILCOCK

THE GARDENER Salley Vickers Viking, £16.99

Sisters Hassie, an artist, and Margot, working in finance, use the money left to them by their dead father to buy a dilapidated Jacobean house in Hope Wenlock on the Welsh marshes. Margot continues working in London, so Hassie is left alone to contend with the large house and its overgrown, unloved garden. She is recommended the help of gentle and discreet Murat, and they get to work reviving the place. This quiet allows her to reflect on her previous life; her childhood, romances and grief. The Gardener is a real testament to nature, showing how it can nourish and give someone like Hassie the space to heal. A charming book, which Vickers wrote during lockdown while she worked on her own wild garden, it’s perfect for a winter evening read.

FRANCES WRIGHT