AUTUMN’S best READS

THIS MONTH, LITERARY EDITOR SARRA MANNING LOVES STORIES OF BRIGHT YOUNG THINGS, ROYALS AND HORSE-RIDING LIBRARIANS

The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey

(Simon & Schuster, £8.99, out 17th October) I devoured this wonderful story about debutante Selina Lennox, who parties with the Bright Young Things of 1925 but falls in love with Lawrence Weston, a poor photographer. A decade later, Selina’s daughter Alice embarks on a treasure hunt that will uncover her mother’s secrets, but there’s one secret Selina is determined not to reveal. This has beautiful writing, compelling characters and an ending that made me cry.

The Lying Room by Nicci French

(Simon & Schuster, £12.99, out 3rd October) A rare standalone novel from bestselling writing partnership Nicci French. To escape the pressures of family life, Neve starts sleeping with her married boss, but after discovering his murdered body, she’ll do anything to hide the evidence of their affair. Neve’s lies soon spiral out of control, but is the affair the only thing she’s trying to cover up? A gripping suspense novel that crackles with tension – you’ll be hooked.

Through The Wall by Caroline Corcoran

(Canongate, £7.99, out 17th October) Lexie and Harriet are neighbours, separated by a thin wall in a trendy London block of flats. They’ve never met, and each think the other one is leading a charmed life. But Harriet’s fascination with Lexie soon turns to obsession, then hatred, and she sets her sights on Lexie’s boyfriend, Tom, as the perfect way to make Lexie suffer. Not only a twisted thriller, Through The Wall also captures the loneliness of urban living and comparison culture.

The Giver Of Stars by Jojo Moyes

(Michael Joseph, £20, out 3rd October) A change in direction for Me Before You bestseller Jojo Moyes: a thrilling tale of derring-do and murder set in Kentucky during the Great Depression. Already regretting her marriage to a wealthy coal baron’s son, Alice finds freedom and friendship when she signs up to become one of the Horseback Librarians Of Kentucky. But her domineering father-in-law is determined to put Alice in her place.

Royals by Emma Forrest

(Bloomsbury, £12.99, out 31st October)

It’s 1981, Charles and Diana have just got married and shy, working-class Steven meets the glamorous, glittering Jasmine, a rich girl from Notting Hill. United by their love of fashion and the feeling that they don’t fit in, Steven and Jasmine form a fast, fierce friendship, which is glorious… while it lasts. With hints of Brideshead Revisited and Emma Jane Unsworth’s Animals, Royals is the coolest book you’ll read this year.