THE BEST NEW FICTION

The Illustrated Child

Polly Crosby

HQ €14.99

Romilly and her artist pa live in a moated Suffolk farmhouse full of damp, deathwatch beetles and ghosts. When he pens a series of hit children’s books featuring his daughter, hordes of fans descend, convinced that clues to a treasure hunt are hidden within the books.

They do contain a secret, but it’s buried in Romilly’s own forgotten early childhood. Despite some stilted dialogue, this promising debut novel is full of atmospheric tension.

Hephzibah Anderson

The Autumn Of The Ace

Louis de Bernières

Harvill Secker €19.99

The final novel in the trilogy that began with The Dust That Falls From Dreams focuses on Daniel Pitt, hero of two world wars. Haunted by the loss of loved ones, he travels to Pakistan to bury his brother, before heading to Canada for a new start. One thing, however, can’t be escaped – the need for reconciliation with his estranged son. It’s a compelling and moving conclusion to a saga with epic scope.

Anthony Gardner

Three Women And A Boat

Anne Youngson

Doubleday €12.99

This gentle meander down Britain’s waterways celebrates midlife adventure and friendship. Three strangers meet, each at a crossroads: Eve’s been fired, Sally’s left her husband, and Anastasia has cancer. While she’s in hospital, canal novices Eve and Sally skipper her narrowboat from Uxbridge to Chester – and, in adapting to new rhythms and challenges, discover unsuspected depths in themselves. The metaphors aren’t exactly subtle, yet this cosy fare has a bittersweet, meditative charm.

Madeleine Feeney

The Searcher

Tana French

Viking €13.99

The excellent French’s new novel moves away from her regular cast of Dublin detectives. Cal Hooper, former Chicago cop, is quietly making a new life in the west of Ireland, restoring a farmhouse. Then an odd, feral kid persuades Cal to look for his missing brother. It’s a dangerous decision, as Cal soon discovers that the countryside is full of secrets. A tense, slow-burning thriller, but also an indelible portrait of rural Ireland today.

John Williams