Cold Sunset by William Boyd, Hardback, £20
Boyd set out to write a trilogy when he introduced accidental spy Gabriel Dax in 2024’s Gabriel’s Moon but this third outing feels less of a finale and more an open door to future adventures. And why not? He might be an acclaimed literary novelist but Boyd’s books have often contained themes of espionage, deceit and betrayal and his thrilling spy series featuring a reluctant agent has won legions of new fans.
Having debriefed a dying poet about his wartime work, Gabriel has his eye on returning to travel writing when his beguiling MI6 boss Faith Greene orders him to Moscow to bring a drunken and treacherous British triple agent in from the cold. With the KGB circling, Boyd expertly builds the suspense as the increasingly ruthless Gabriel begins to metamorphose into a real spy. This future classic is utterly gripping. 8/10
Harold: Warrior King by Tom Licence, Hardback, £25
With the 960th anniversary of the Battle of Hastings next month, Licence’s new biography of the unfortunate King Harold who may – though probably didn’t – have lost an eye but certainly lost his crown (and his head, when he was hacked to death) is a thrillingly timely read. The last wholly successful foreign invasion of England marked a turning point in our island story and Licence, a professor of medieval history at the University of East Anglia, captures the drama and the bureaucracy that made it happen.
Most tellingly, Harold is not the hapless loser history has painted him as. He mounted a staunch defence and was probably a bit unlucky at Battle in 1066. What happened next is equally fascinating as William’s Normans insinuated themselves into Saxon society to the extent that, within a few generations, England was at peace. History at its finest. 8/10
We Chase Shadows by Richard Osman, Hardback, £25
Having peeled off from his megahit Thursday Murder Club franchise in 2024 to introduce a new series with We Solve Murders, thus proving himself no one-hit wonder, Osman returns with a rip-roaringly entertaining sequel. Retired cop and pub quiz savant Steve Wheeler, his daughter in law Amy, a conflicted personal protection officer, and their former client turned partner, bestselling novelist Rosie D’Antonio, finally have a case for their new detective agency.
The murder of a businessman’s bodyguard in Italy sparks all sorts of shenanigans. What follows is a warm, compelling and laugh-out-loud send-up of the genre with plenty of twists and turns as the unlikely trio chase the baddies (and their own tails). This is a writer at the height of his powers enjoying himself. And you will too. Another nailed on hit from the dauphin of British crime writing. 9/10
Can Nothing Save Us? by Irvine Welsh, Hardback, £20
Welsh ditches Edinburgh and his signature junkies for a state-of-the-nation look at the US – spoiler alert, it’s going to the dogs – set in the broiling heat of Las Vegas. What begins as a dispute over a family inheritance soon degenerates into something much darker as Welsh proves the truism that nothing divides like money. Events begin to veer out of control in the wake of a mass shooting when Molly and George Warburton announce that their college dropout grandson Luke will inherit their millions, leaving their furious daughter Gina out in the cold (figuratively, in Sin City and the mercury’s always rising) and bent on revenge.
Welsh’s mix of pitch black humour, colourful language and mayhem have rarely had a better backdrop and this gripping, funny and strangely poignant tale of internecine warfare is proof yet again of his supreme powers as a writer. 9/10
