Summer reads Part 2: Thrillers
Paperback page-turners to keep you guessing whether on the beach, poolside or in the garden
And Away… by Bob Mortimer
(Gallery UK, £8.99) In 2015, Mortimer was diagnosed with a heart condition that required immediate surgery and forced him to take stock of his life. The result is this delightful and funny memoir taking us from his Middlesbrough past to TV success in Gone Fishing.
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl
(Simon & Schuster, £9.99) The Nirvana drummer and Foo Fighters frontman tells a fascinating life story, in which tales of his formative years and family life are as compelling as those of rubbing shoulders with the stars. A thoughtful and evocative read.
You’ve Got To Laugh by Alison Hammond (Penguin, £8.99)
Alison Hammond brings her trademark joie de vivre to her memoir. After she was evicted from Big Brother in 2002, she could have faded into oblivion, yet she followed it with an 18-year stint on This Morning. Here, she charts her journey to ultimate stardom.
Hope Not Fear by Hassan Akkad (Bluebird, £9.99)
Filmmaker and activist Akkad fled Syria in 2015 and arrived in London after a punishing 87-day journey across Europe. In this uplifting memoir, he charts his journey to freedom and reflects on his decision to take a job with the NHS.
Kiss Myself Goodbye by Ferdinand Mount (Bloomsbury, £10.99)
Ferdinand Mount sets out to uncover the life story of his evasive aunt Munca and exposes a web of lies, deceptions and reinventions. He also vividly captures bygone Britain and you’ll be grateful that we live in more tolerant times.
Windswept & Interesting by Billy Connolly (Two Roads, £14.99)
Billy Connolly’s comedy flourished in the Glasgow shipyards. Here, Billy talks about his relationship with Catholicism, his deafness and his health. His story has been told before but never by him and never this well.
A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins
(Penguin, £8.99) The Girl On The Train author returns with the story of Laura, who is suspected of Daniel’s murder on a London canal boat after a one-night stand. Local busybody Miriam lies to the police to shift suspicion on to Daniel’s aunt Carla. Only Irene, an elderly woman who Laura does a weekly shop for, can uncover the truth.
Winter Counts by David Heska Wanbli Weiden (Simon & Schuster, £8.99)
This heartfelt and harrowing thriller introduces readers to Virgil Wounded Horse, an enforcer on the Rosebud Native American Reservation in South Dakota. He takes on corrupt tribal leaders to stop a Mexican drug cartel selling heroin to local children.
Magpie by Elizabeth Day (Fourth Estate, £8.99)
Marisa and Jake move in together after a whirlwind romance but, with money tight, they take in a lodger, Kate. Marisa feels growing unease at the way Kate looks at Jake and asks constant questions about the baby they’re trying for. This tightly written thriller has an ingenious plot twist that you won’t see coming.
Slough House by Mick Herron (Baskerville, £8.99)
Britain’s finest contemporary thriller series hits new heights. The failed spies of MI5, exiled to work in a deadend MI5 department, are targeted by the Russian secret service after a British counteroffensive to the Novichok poisoning. Can they stay alive long enough to save the day?
The Khan by Saima Mir (Point Blank, £8.99)
This powerful debut sees London law yer Jia Khan return to a bleak northern city where she takes the place of her murdered father Akbar, who meted out justice of a kind in its Pakistani community and ran its criminal underworld. Jia soon finds that the role comes at a cost.
Never by Ken Follett
(Pan Macmillan, £9.99) The author’s first contemporary thriller for more than a decade imagines a series of global political flashpoints, each one edging the world closer to a nuclear World War III. This epic novel shows how easily a nightmare scenario could unfold and keeps you guessing until the very last page.
The Perfect Lie by Jo Spain
(Quercus, £7.99) When Erin opens the door to husband Danny’s police partner, Danny jumps to his death from the window of their fourth-floor New York apartment. But 18 months later, Erin is in court charged with her husband’s murder. In the meantime, she discovered that her supposedly perfect married life was built on the perfect lie.
The Shadows Of Men by Abir Mukherjee (Vintage, £8.99)
Two Imperial police officers try to stop a religious war in Calcutta in 1923 by solving the murder of a prominent Hindu theologian, who was killed after meeting a Muslim politician. Captivating, moving and exciting, this is the latest instalment in an unmissable series billed as historical fiction at its finest.