Gold by Chris Cleave is published in hardback by Sceptre, priced £16.99. Available from June 7.

There couldn't be a more timely backdrop to Chris Cleave's third novel than the London Olympics and the story of two British female cyclists as they battle it out for a place in the world's most prestigious sporting event.

The unlikely friends and rivals, Zoe and Kate, both have complex issues and different motives.

Zoe is the ruthless, cunning competitor whose raison d'etre is to win, while Kate just wants to do her best for everyone else and has other issues, most significantly a nine-year-old daughter suffering from leukaemia, and a husband who once had a thing for Zoe.

Cleave keeps the pace moving well as he jumps between the personal and psychological dilemmas both women face on and off their bikes and the gruelling physical hardships they endure in their quest for gold, throwing in some heart-rending perspective as the sick little girl fights for her life.

His previous two novels, Incendiary and The Other Hand, were both best-sellers - and there's no reason why Gold shouldn't go the same way.

As one who is not a fan of the Olympics, I was not expecting too much from this novel, but it's a completely riveting read because at the heart of it is the unseen, private world of our greatest athletes, their darkest hours, their hopes, doubts, ambitions and sacrifices, played out long before the world's cameras focus on them. I couldn't put it down.

9/10
(Review by Hannah Stephenson)