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Agatha Christie - The Murder of Roger Ackroyd

Harper Collins

ISBN 0007234376

With The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, Agatha Christie wanted to write a mystery that the reader couldn't solve. When Roger Ackroyd is murdered following the suicide of his friend Mrs Ferrar, it seems everyone has something to gain from his death. Only the mustachioed Hercule Poirot is able to uncover the mystery. Agatha Christie is the original 'Queen of Crime' and this is absolutely first-rate stuff. Will you guess who the murderer is? I doubt it.

Minette Walters - The Devil's Feather

Pan Macmillan

ISBN 0330436481

Engrossing, full of suspense, very interesting characters, almost nail-biting in its ability to grip; this is one of her best. A Reuters correspondent, Connie, working in Iraq, recognises a face from the past (Congo, Sierra Leone) using a different name and begins to investigate him - but events take a terrible turn and Connie returns to England, in effect to hide. I can't tell you any more; just read it, it's terrific.

James McGee - Ratcatcher

Harper Collins

ISBN 000723645X

Introducing Bow Street Runner Matthew Hawkwood, the 'protector', who - along with a small group of about eight - watches over Regency London. He's an attractive hero; the period atmosphere is great, the main plot wonderfully inventive and the writing compulsive and gripping. All in all, the start of what should grow into an exciting new series. I really look forward to the next. Just as an aside, the author, who uses a pseudonym, used to be the manager of one of Ottakar's bookshops.

Rosie Thomas - Iris and Ruby

Harper Collins

ISBN 0007173547

A story that veers back and forth between Iris' early life in war-time Cairo and the present, with Ruby, her somewhat mixed-up but feisty 17-year old granddaughter, who has run away from England. With wonderful descriptions of the sounds, sights and smells of Cairo against a background of expatriate life and Rommel's war, this is first rate - she is such a competent writer. It's amazing how, having read Sun at Midnight, set in Antarctica, you can imagine her having spent years in cold climates; now, one book later, she gives you the feeling that she has spent a lifetime in Africa.

Jackie Clune - Man of the Month Club

Smith Davies Publishing Ltd

ISBN 1905204450

By the time you get to your forties life is never simple. Amy Stokes is sick of her friends obsessing over babies and just can't see what all of the fuss is about - until someone dumps an unwanted baby on her doorstep and she decides the only thing she wants before she hits 40 is a baby. Easier said than done, considering she is well and truly single. With twelve months and twelve eggs she sets out to find a suitable father for her child. Slipping into her 'fertilize-me' shoes, she starts her search and attempts to make her way through London's bachelors. Hilarious stuff and great to see that fiction about motherhood doesn't need to be serious and soppy.

Brian Strause - Maybe a Miracle

Judy Piatkis

ISBN 0749907657

This is a highly original and hugely entertaining coming-of-age debut novel about family, rebellion, faith and hope, which will appeal to fans of John Irving, Ann Tyler and Alice Sebold.