THE BEST NEW FICTION

A Burning Megha Majumdar Scribner £14.99

Set amid sectarian bloodshed in India, this powerful US debut follows a young Muslim shop clerk who finds herself jailed as a terrorist thanks to a risky Facebook comment posted after a train bombing. Those who know she’s innocent find their ability to speak out compromised by their desire to get on in life. Majumdar’s page-turning thriller seeks to open our eyes to the role of persecution in populist politics.

Anthony Cummins

The Shape Of Darkness Laura Purcell Raven £12.99

Purcell is fast establishing herself as the doyenne of gothic mystery, and this positively oozes uncanny menace. It’s set in Victorian Bath, where Agnes is eking out a living as a silhouette artist. When her clients start meeting violent deaths, she’s forced to seek the help of Pearl, an 11-year-old spirit medium. Niftily plotted and deftly researched, it’s one to read with the lights blazing and the door bolted.

Hephzibah Anderson

The City Of Tears Kate Mosse

Mantle £20 Following on from The Burning Chambers, volume two of Mosse’s trilogy about the persecution of French Huguenots opens ten years into the Wars of Religion. Heroine Minou is set to become embroiled in the chaos of the 1572 St Bartholomew’s Day massacre in Paris and will suffer exile in Amsterdam. Religious fanaticism, political intrigue and the heart-wrenching tale of a lost child add to a highly readable historical adventure, with women firmly centre stage.

Simon Humphreys

Trust Chris Hammer Wildfire £16.99

Hard-bitten Sydney journalist Martin Scarsden is living up the coast with his new partner Mandy, trying to remake their lives. Then news reaches them that her old boyfriend has been found dead, encased in concrete. So begins a full-tilt ride through the city’s dark side as Martin starts to uncover a baroque criminal conspiracy involving a cross-dressing judge, an American mafioso and an extremely courteous hitman. A thoroughly entertaining thriller.

John Williams