Book of the month

We weren’t sure what to expect from the debut novel of chat show host GRAHAM NORTON, but it’s terrific. HOLDING is a darkly funny mystery set in a small Irish town where everybody knows each other’s business. When a body is found on a building site, the town is abuzz with whispers about who it is, not least Evelyn, whose true love went missing 20 years ago. For a first book, it’s deeply accomplished, with brilliantly observed, entertaining characters and an atmospheric setting where old rivalries are picked over, passions flare and gossip spreads like wildfire.