From the master of light and shadows to the master of the dark and twisty tale, April's new releases are strokes of genius.
RRP £20 (Penguin)
We make a second visit to Gerritsen’s small town of Purity, Maine, where 15-year-old Zoe, a veritable water baby, has gone missing from the lake. Acting inspector Jo Thibodau is on the case, and The Martini Club – five superannuated spooks, well-fed and cocktail-fuelled – are bent on helping her to solve it, whether she likes it or not.
If Zoe didn’t drown, what has become of her, and what connects her disappearance with that terrible day in 1972 when a local carpenter ran amok, mowed down three people and shot dead a cop?
An intoxicating mix of horror and humour, densely plotted, to leave you shaken and stirred.
RRP £16.99 (Bonnier Books Ltd)
Though he vowed to his wife Saskia on her deathbed, on pain of losing his inheritance, that he would not remarry, Rembrandt embarked on an affair with Geertje Dircx, nurse to the couple’s son, Titus.
It all got very messy, and art historians differ on who was to blame, but Leahy paints a compelling picture of a callous, vengeful painter and a woman cruelly betrayed, against the backdrop of the Dutch Golden Age.
RRP £22 (Cornerstone)
Private investigator and disgraced cop Sami Kierce is teaching night classes to would-be sleuthhounds when a figure from his student past walks in, catches his eye, then does a runner.
Anna? He’s sure it’s Anna, and yet all those years ago he killed her… didn’t he? Hang on to your hat. We’re off on a classic Coben tour of fairground rides – rollercoaster, ghost train, dodgems, hall of mirrors – with never a dull moment.
RRP £18.99 (Penguin)
Following her acclaimed debut, The Flames, about artist Egon Schiele’s muses, Haydock turns her penetrating gaze on three formidable women in Henri Matisse’s life – his wife, Amélie Parayre; his model and collaborator, the young Russian refugee Lydia Délectorskaya; his feisty, Resistance-fighting daughter, Marguerite.
Trigger warning: a gun is fired. A work of vivid imagination, colour and verve.
RRP £25 (Bodleian Library)
How potent are the possessions of the dead! "Objects can summon up a life, can provide a glimpse into something remote or surprisingly near, something alternative," writes Sutherland.
Two hundred and fifty years after Austen’s birth, she finds the author animated by the inanimate – alive in such objects as Austen’s little writing table, a muslin shawl, pelisse, tea caddy, lock of hair, and between the lines of her novels.
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The TV designer on the daily meeting that is the key to living happily with his children and grandchildren.
The radio DJ, 74, on leaving the BBC, continuing his PopMaster quizzes and the joy of the daytime party.
The actors talk ageing, James Bond, the powerful message of the film and why author Richard Osman felt nervous about coming on set.
The clothing designer says it’s time to embrace thrift and shares his tips on how we can dress well for less.
DJ and presenter Jo Whiley on how she's still getting home at 4am and why she thinks Monty Don is as cool as Mick Jagger.
Former finalist Debbie McGee reveals what happens behind at the scenes at TV's most glamorous show.
Stop smoking, go for a walk and do puzzles, says the veteran newsreader.
The author and actor talks about her starring role in the Thursday Murder Club film.
Rock and roll's true survivor - Chris Rea on family, fame and what his battle with cancer has taught him.
