BEST BOOKS
Zoe West picks the best reads for you
Lucy By The Sea
by Elizabeth Strout (£14.99, Penguin, HB)
Lucy Barton is back – just as Covid 19 takes hold across America. Lucy’s ex-husband William, father of her two daughters, persuades her to leave New York for an isolated coastal house. Thrown together again William and Lucy reflect on the failure of their marriage and the bonds that have held them together over the years. As Lucy faces an uncertain future, new bonds are forged with neighbours like Bob who treasures the wisdom that comes from a loving heart – as do her readers.
The Favour
by Nicci French (£16.99, Simon & Schuster)
Nicci French has done it again with this superbly paced tale as successful doctor Jude comes face-to-face with her first love Liam after 10 long years. He knows her inside and out and so when he asks a small favour of her, how can she refuse him? It’s only when Liam is found murdered and Jude finds herself embroiled in a web of deception and suspicion that she starts to question her instinctive decision. Brilliantly twisty, the final reveal will be sure to send shivers down your spine.
A Christmas Celebration
by Heidi Swain (£8.99, Simon & Schuster, PB)
It’s a welcome return to her uncle’s home, Wynthorpe Hall, but for Paige everything seems different. Pulled into local life, helping out with food deliveries and Christmas celebrations, she stumbles into Albert, the rather grumpy owner of an isolated cottage and handsome but brooding Brodie. All of them have their secrets and all want to hide away, but is that the best way so near to Christmas? The Queen of Festive Fiction is back with another uplifting read.