Laughter, love and killer plots
As Richard Madeley and Judy Finnigan launch the Richard And Judy Book Club Summer 2016, they reveal why they love their latest selection of page- turners…
ROGUE LAWYER by John Grisham
Hodder, £ 7.99 SEBASTIAN Rudd is a lawyer who takes the cases that no one else will touch, defending men accused of the vilest crimes.
He couldn’t care less what people think of him as a consequence but takes the precaution of carrying a gun and employing the services of a heavily- armed driver- cum- bodyguard.
And in his latest case Rudd needs all the protection he can get.
Another cracking legal thriller from the master of the genre.
SWEET CARESS by William Boyd
Bloomsbury, £ 7.99 THE smallest, most trivial events can change a life.
Early in the 20th century seven- year- old Amory Clay is given a box camera. It is the start of her destiny as a war photographer in a life packed with adventure, lovers, husbands and children.
As well as Amory’s story, William Boyd gives us a series of searing close- ups on some of the defining moments of the last century. An enthralling read.
ACCORDING TO YES by Dawn French
Penguin, £ 7.99 IN the lives of the super- rich who live on Manhattan’s Upper East Side the three key rules of the game could not be clearer.
One: no display of emotion. Ever. Two: quiet decorum at all times. Three: no fun.
Dawn French introduces English teacher- cum- nanny Rosie Kitto into this repressed world. Think Mary Poppins with a modern transatlantic twist. Warm, hilarious and wise.
THE LAST ACT OF LOVE by Cathy Rentzenbrink
Picador, £ 7.99 THIS emotionally devastating book is the true story of the writer’s brother, Matty, who at the age of 16 was knocked down by a car. He survived for another decade but remained in a coma. Rentzenbrink’s memoir of those years is brave, heartbreaking and full of love for her brother.
In the end it’s uplifting. A truly beautiful book.
A DICTIONARY OF MUTUAL UNDERSTANDING by Jackie Copleton
Windmill Books, £ 7.99 AMATERASU Takahashi lost her daughter and grandson when Nagasaki was obliterated by the atom bomb. Years later, what is she to make of the badly scarred man who comes to her door claiming to be that grandson?
Jackie Copleton lived in Nagasaki and other parts of Japan for three years so her description of Japanese values and culture is utterly authentic and completely mesmerising. As is the story’s central conundrum: is this man a survivor or a fraudster?
THOSE WE LEFT BEHIND by Stuart Neville
Vintage, £ 7.99 A SEARING and affecting psychological thriller.
When 12- year- old Ciaran Devine is jailed for killing his foster father the nation is shocked. Seven years later he is released.
DCI Serena Flanagan always suspected Ciaran confessed to protect older brother Thomas.
As secrets from the past unravel, violence around the brothers escalates. A terrific thriller, chilling but oddly tender.
THE GIRL ON THE TRAIN by Paula Hawkins
Black Swan, £ 7.99 THIS ingenious amnesia thriller is already a massive bestseller.
Rachel takes the same train across London every day for work. On each journey it stops outside the same house and
Rachel becomes obsessed with the couple living in it.
One day she thinks she’s witnessed a betrayal but miserable Rachel is frequently drunk due to her failed marriage and she often loses her memory. A dangerous quest ends in gruesome murder. A terrifi c read.
THE GIRLS by Lisa Jewell Arrow, £ 7.99
ONE summer night Grace is found unconscious in a dark corner of a communal garden square in London.
Some residents have lived there for generations but 13- year- old Grace, her twin sister Pip and mother Clare are newcomers.
As Clare tries to fi nd out what happened to Grace, the garden’s dark secrets and history are revealed.
An emotional page- turner.