With crisp plotting, scabrous dialogue and deftly applied splashes of gore, former comedian C.K. McDonnell has served up another winner from his cast of delightful losers.

McDonnell makes Manchester chaotic, hilarious, elegiac and sinister at the same time . . . very, very funny . . . the work has already been compared frequently to Terry Pratchett, and given the whip-crack sharp lines and wryness, it is not inappropriate. But it is not a weak clone of Pratchett's work, and it has its own political edge.

Intriguingly brilliant . . . its greatest strength is in its engaging and enthralling characters, both new and old. The author revels in their personalities, their foibles and flaws as they guide you hilariously through an urban fantasy landscape bursting with myth and magic; all often hiding in plain sight . . . perhaps more Gaiman or Adams than Pratchett, McDonnell has a gift for describing the fantastical as delectably formulaic . . . if you enjoy your fantasy peppered with wit and deft creativity, then McDonnell's books will sit comfortably on your bookshelf next to those revered genre alumni.

Fast-paced, brilliantly written, and with characters to die for, This Charming Man will have you laughing out loud time and again.

Raw, brave and gripping, You Should Have Told Me is a brilliant portrayal of a new mother whose struggles will cut you to the core. The flawless writing is both emotionally resonant and tantalizingly suspenseful as we try to figure out the secrets and lies behind a missing person and a murder. Every chapter is more addictive than the last, leading to a stunning ending that you won't see coming. Leah Konen is an astonishing talent

With breathless suspense and cliffhangers in nearly every chapter, Leah Konen has written a pitch-perfect thriller with a plot so propulsive the pages practically turn themselves. Not only is You Should Have Told Me packed with stunning surprises and brow-raising reveals; it is also an unflinching exploration of the dark side of new motherhood - one that, too often, women are discouraged from sharing

Atmospheric and deeply thought-provoking, You Should Have Told Me is both a page-turning mystery and a deft exploration of the thorny intersection of marriage and parenthood and the complex, often fraught reality of new motherhood

A smart page-turner that is impossible to put down. Ordinary people like you and me find themselves in the ultimate nightmare, which could become anyone's reality. The story gets under your skin, leaving you defenceless

One to Watch

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Twisty and tense with characters I thought about long after reading

An enthralling story delving into every parents worst nightmare. I was utterly absorbed until the final, thrilling pages

Tremendously immersive (...) What starts off as titillating becomes ever more thrilling as Stehn skillfully reveals one family secret after another. This is pure reading bliss for fans of domestic suspense and the books of Liane Moriarty

A fantastic debut, a fascinating suspense novel. (...) I would be delighted to return to Malin Stehn in the future

A new suspense novel that draws me in

I was very close to taking the day off last minute - that's how hooked I was by Malin Stehn's debut novel. (...) The hours tick by. And the closer the clock ticks toward midnight, the more the sense of control begins to crack. Things that should never be said are spoken aloud. Thoughts that never should have crossed your mind, do. And, above all, actions are taken that you can never undo. [Stehn]'s craft is brilliant

This is the real deal . . . an incredibly well-written, clever and brilliantly composed debut that leaves me wanting more

Page turner is an overused word by now, but sometimes it covers everything . . . an incredibly clever and well written suspense novel.

A splendid debut in the genre

If you haven't already read Happy New Year by Malin Stehn, do so immediately

Malin Stehn skillfully depicts superficial friendships, the perfect life and marriage as portrayed on social media vs the secrets that are hidden beneath the surface. Through the points of view of three distinct characters - their thoughts, doubts and guilt - the story creeps closer to a harrowing reveal

A searing Scandi thriller

Fans of Joanna Cannon's The Trouble with Goats and Sheep will devour this

Totally heartbreaking, but also uplifting, this is a real gem of a read

Its twists and turns leave your blood running cold

It's rare that a thriller actually lives up to that word. But here - in the jeopardy its characters are plunged into, in the story's twists and turns, and in the true star of the novel, the mountain itself - Breathless truly manages to thrill

A truly breathtaking thriller. It had me gasping and guessing with every turn of a page. The audacity of the adventure is only matched by the brilliance of McCulloch's deft and evocative writing

A visceral, thrill-seeker's story of one woman's struggle to conquer her fears, with murder and mayhem at 8,000m. I really loved it.

A frighteningly original novel written with a deep passion for the mountains and an inquisitive mind. A brilliantly chilling read

Chilling . . . there really is something about the combination of a remote snowbound location and a killer hiding in plain sight that is a recipe for success

A blockbuster-worthy thriller