YOUNG ADULT BOOK OF THE WEEK

The Girl In The Castle

Troubled teenager Hannah Dory spends most of the book in present-day Belman Memorial Psychiatric Hospital but her mind is in 1347 trying to save her family and friends from starving to death. She tells doctors she’s actually from the past – not the usual storyline for Patterson, whose books have sold over 400million copies worldwide. This is a YA psychological thriller that will (Penguin, £8.99; ebook £5.99) keep readers in suspense until the end.

Student nurse Jordan Hassan slowly realises why Hannah suffers such violent mood swings and hallucinations, becoming obsessed to find the truth – even if it means bending the rules and turning to detective work.

Tension builds in both past and present, with obvious empathy for Hannah’s fellow patients – perhaps helped by Patterson’s job as a psychiatric assistant in a hospital while at university.