Book Review | Business Post

Dark Music: A Scandi noir slow-burner that fails to catch fire

David Lagercrantz, known for his association with Millennium creator Stieg Larsson, has launched his own crime-writing career with an international political thriller that doesn’t quite manage to thrill

Web of Lies: Exploring the murky world of online extremism and misinformation

Aoife Gallagher’s study of the attraction, danger and history of conspiracy theories on the internet and how ordinary people can get sucked into it is essential reading

Blurb Your Enthusiasm: Chapter and verse on history of the all-important book blurb

They may persuade you to buy a book and can be unpopular with writers, but the publisher’s synopsis on the back cover or jacket flap of a book has been called one of the purest literary forms

The Storm is Here: How mass delusion fuels the actions of America’s far right

In a fascinating but depressing book, journalist Luke Mogelson spends time with far-right movements in America and endeavours to explain their grievances and why they have been taken in by crackpot conspiracy theories

The Tattoo Murder: Translation of famous Japanese whodunit leaves its mark

Akimitsu Takagi’s classic Japanese locked-room mystery has been translated into English and the 1940s novel is noteworthy for its extensive and nuanced portrayal of Japanese subcultures

Listen to the Land Speak: History and mythology meet in a remarkable work of research

In his latest book, Manchán Magan argues that while modern historical accounts are ‘a neat and easy way to digest reality’, they don’t tell the whole story

Agatha Christie: Doing the detective work on a literary woman of mystery

A new biography of crime queen Agatha Christie attempts to get to the bottom of her sensational disappearance for 11 days in 1926 as her marriage was crumbling

Suspect: ‘Butt-tightening’ thrills aplenty in Turow’s latest crime caper

The bestselling US author’s new yarn features a tight cast of characters who thrive on rapid-fire dialogue with next to no exposition

The Edge of the Plain: In-depth study into why establishing boundaries can lead to increased conflict

In this fascinating collection of essays, historian James Crawford traces the history of borders and explains why they have caused so much trouble across the world

Shrines of Gaiety: Sprawling novel of 1920s London life beguiles and dazzles

Set in 1926, Kate Atkinson’s family saga is a rich tapestry of plots and sub-plots that will keep readers guessing till the end

The Bullet That Missed: Ageing sleuths bring wit and wisdom to entertaining detective story

Richard Osman, the television presenter and writer, brings a group of septuagenarians together again in his third novel to solve a cold case in a warm-hearted and quintessentially English murder mystery

Fairy Tale: King indulges himself to good effect on that difficult 65th novel

The veteran horror master’s latest effort could have done with a trimmed word count, but effortlessly entices the reader into its web nonetheless

The Other Guinness Girl: Glamour gets reality check in latest and best of the family saga

In Emily Hourican’s third instalment of Guinness Girls, the glitz and glamour give way to much starker, thornier social issues with the rise of fascism in pre-WWII Britain and Europe

One Good Day: Insider’s account of Good Friday Agreement talks the most reliable yet

Getting the historic peace accord in the North across the line was a victory that had to be constantly snatched from the jaws of defeat, explains the then senior Irish diplomat at Stormont

Can Ireland be One?: Whimsical, but thoughtful look at the question of a united Ireland

Journalist Malachi O’Doherty will probably annoy his critics even more with this spiky polemic that questions whether a united Ireland is inevitable, practical or even desirable

Nailing It! Tales from the Comedy Frontier: Memoir laced with rage and dry humour

In his new book, American comedian Rich Hall recounts how he has found a more receptive audience on this side of the Atlantic than in his home country

Lessons: McEwan’s epic explores what we learn as we move through life

Veteran novelist Ian McEwan’s new, 500-page saga takes its protagonist from World War II right up to the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change

Haven: A religious zealot takes his spiritual quest to the edge of the world

Following the journey of three monks to the uninhabited Skellig Michael in the early days of Christianity, Emma Donoghue’s latest novel is a study of fanaticism, hardship and the relationship between the men

Revenge: Hatchet job on Meghan and Harry smacks of colonial arrogance and ignorance

While the book’s assertion that Harry and Meghan have exploited their struggles for personal gain is probably true, Tom Bower’s dismissiveness of problems that are very real are just as hard to stomach as everyone in it

This Beating Heart: Uplifting tale of forging a new path after fairytale future is shattered

In Laura Barnett’s third novel, the protagonist has to set out on her own when round after round of failed IVF treatments leads to the breakdown of her marriage