The Night Visitors ★★★ Carol Goodman, Harper-Collins, R280

This slow-burning thriller builds to a spectacular finale that will keep you up into the wee hours. Alice and Oren are on the run from an abusive domestic situation. Penniless, they arrive by bus in a small town in upstate New York. Alice calls a shelter for abused women, where Mattie, a middle-aged social worker, is a volunteer. Alice is aggressive, jittery and suspicious, overawed by Mattie’s crumbling mansion, while Oren is completely at home. This brings back memories for Mattie, as Oren reminds her of her little brother, Caleb, who died 35 years ago, aged 10. Both women are harbouring secrets but Alice’s start to unravel when the following morning Mattie reads a news story that a man has been stabbed to death in New Jersey, and realises this is what Alice is fleeing. As a massive snowstorm starts to build, so does the tension.