‘Not just our foremost espionage author but one of our finest humourists’ … ‘A brilliantly drawn protagonist and all-too-real bad guys’

Mark Billingham, whose latest Tom Thorne thriller, What The Night Brings (Little, Brown), is out now, says: “In Clown Town, the ninth outing in the Slough House series, River Cartwright is trying to work out why a book is missing from his late grandfather’s library. Soon he and the rest of the Slow Horses are drawn into the chaos around the ‘Stakeknife’ (think ‘Pitchfork’) cover-up and Jackson Lamb is locking horns with Diana Taverner. Gripping and hilarious, Mick Herron further cements his position not just as our foremost espionage writer but as one of our finest humourists. Does the world need another book about the Beatles? The answer (for me anyway) is always ‘yeah, yeah, yeah’ and resoundingly so when it’s a book as original and compelling as John & Paul: A Love Story in Songs (Faber) by Ian Leslie. This ‘love story in songs’ will make you think again about a relationship that has been analysed before but never with as much affection and genuine insight. Lennon and McCartney needed one another, the world needed their songs and any right-thinking music fan needs this book.”

Barrister and author Tony Kent, who penned The Odessa File sequel, Revenge of Odessa (Transworld) with the late Freddie Forsyth, says: “No Mercy by Max Connor (HarperCollins) marks the start of a compelling new series. A classic heist tale with a twist, and a flat-out action thriller from a master of the police procedural, the genius fingerprints of the author’s real identity – Neil Lancaster – are all over this book. Just as gripping is Our Debts To The Past (Grey Dog Books), the eighth book in Ed James’ phenomenal DI Rob Marshall series. Set in the Scottish Borders and revolving around the cold case murder of a sex worker, it maintains the combination of psychological chills, a brilliantly drawn protagonist and all-too-real bad guys that makes every book in this series a must read.”

‘Brings Second World War noir to the mean streets of Glasgow’ … Epic fantasy at its best’

Historical fiction star Vaseem Khan, whose thrilling new James Bond spin-off Q, featuring MI6 armourer Major Boothroyd, is out now, says: “Gunner by Alan Parks (Baskerville) brings Second World War noir to the mean streets of Glasgow. Following a former-detective and soldier returned wounded from the front in 1941, it tracks his travails as he becomes embroiled in a murder case partly inspired by history. Blood Caste (Canelo) by Shylashri Shankar is an exotic take on the Ripper legend, vividly bringing to life the city of Hyderabad at the turn of the nineteenth century. While The Raven Scholar by Antonia Hodgson (Hodderscape) showcases tremendous world-building, a cast of carefully drawn characters, and an engaging plot with a nod to the author’s mystery fiction heritage. The Raven Scholar is epic fantasy at its finest.”

‘A rollicking, ingenious, madcap adventure’ … ‘An absolute riot from start to finish’

US thriller king David Baldacci, whose Nash Falls (Macmillan) is out now, says: “In Katabasis by R F Kuang (HarperCollins), two Oxford magical students must venture to hell in order to rescue one of their professors who they might have accidentally murdered. A rollicking, ingenious, madcap adventure with legions of erudite discussions covering pretty much any subject you desire. A tour-de-force fantasy that delivers. The Land of Sweet Forever by Harper Lee (Cornerstoner) is a collection of stories and essays by the Mockingbird author. Lee’s skill is so seamless and effortless that it seems easy to replicate. Until you try to do so. She brings heart and clarity and conviction with each word, paragraph and character sketch. If this is the last we see of this dearly departed writer’s work, it was a poignant finale.”

Ajay Chowdhury, whose latest Kamil Rahman thriller, The Shadow (Vintage), is published in paperback in January, says: “If Anyone Builds, It Everyone Dies by Eliezer Yudkowsky and Nate Soares (Vintage) argues that we are wholly unprepared for machines that outthink us. Maybe the aliens who will eventually wipe us out are not ones from outer space but machines we are creating ourselves. Although occasionally stretching credulity, it’s a provocative warning that one hopes is not too late to heed. For relief from dystopic futures Clown Town (John Murray), the latest in Mick Herron’s Slough House series, is an absolute riot from start to finish. As Lamb (who plumbs ever-increasing depths of disgustingness) and Taverner careen towards their inevitable, delicious confrontation, Herron’s gift for dryly hilarious dialogue and ability to veer seamlessly from laughter to chills remains unmatched.”

‘Beautifully written, emotionally taut, and full of compassion’ … ‘a terrifying abyss of blackmail, murder and terror’

Neil Lancaster, whose latest Max Craigie book thriller, When Shadows Fall (HQ), is out now, says: “Into The Fire by GD Wright (Avon) is a tour-de-force of pace, nerve shredding tension and emotional heft. Is the protagonist a hero, or a suspect? Beautifully written, emotionally taut, and full of compassion. G D Wright is definitely one to watch. I’m a sucker for Cold War spy stories and The Spy in The Archive: How One Man Tried To Kill The KGB, by Gordon Corera (HarperCollins), is a belter. A fascinating, gripping journalistic account of how a grey KGB archivist, and British asset, Vasili Mitrokhin literally stole the Kremlin’s secrets from under their noses and passed then to MI6. The ultimate grey man whose impact is still felt today. Gripping.”

M J Arlidge, whose new book is also called Into The Fire (Orion), says: “We Live Here Now by Sarah Pinborough (Orion) is a dazzling reinvention of the haunted house mystery for a modern audience. While no-one does claustrophobic, real-time thrillers like C M Ewan and Strangers in the Car (Macmillan) is no exception. Driving home early from a failed holiday in Cornwall, young couple Abi and Ben pull over to rescue a mother and baby whose car has broken down on foggy country roads. It’s an act of charity and one they soon come to regret, as their journey descends into a terrifying abyss of blackmail, murder and terror. No-one does claustrophobic, real-time thrillers like C M Ewan!