The New York Times bestselling Orphan X returns – just when Evan Smoak thinks he’s done, his deadliest job yet pulls him back Into The Fire. Could it be the same maniac known as Naked Florida man who’s been raising hell all over the place? For San Francisco’s newest medical examiner, Dr. Jessie Teska, it was supposed to be a fresh start. I expected it to be heavy in racial themes and depressing (like Underground Railroad), but there is so much physical comedy and humor in the storytelling from the very beginning and it just delighted me even though the story does have some tough elements to it. Emily’s resolve to unearth the facts is unshakable. Though Hendrie admits starting the fire, McGrath learns how the VC has preyed on average Joes to benefit himself—and his extensive wine collection. His resentful new colleagues are suspicious of a detective who has entered the CID straight from university, skipping the usual beat cop phase. Past winners include The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. It’s the perfect cover for the justice he seeks for both his father and the people who’ve been wronged by a corrupt system. Yvonne has one admirer in town—Ed Herman—but she has many more enemies, from a disgruntled coach to an athlete she once shamed on social media. With his partner bong boy, Florida’s psycho superhero will find the truth in this hilariously violent delight—packed with history, lore, and plenty of motel antics—from the insanely ingenious Tim Dorsey. HB, Author of Shuggie Bain (Picador, 6 August). But each of them has secrets hiding among the ruins. The idea to write about that era took root after a visit Hare made to a deep level shelter below Clapham Common which was used, for a while, to house passengers from the Windrush. If you had to sell the book in a sentence what would you say?It’s a coming-of-age story about a nine-year-old boy who fancies himself to be a detective and tries to uncover why children are disappearing from his neighbourhood, exploring the impact of a horrific tragedy on a community neglected by the outside world, and the bonds that help people survive difficult times. What are the best and worst things about being a writer?The best thing is when stuff comes out of your head that surprises you: that’s wonderful. I cried to think that one human could treat a child the way the boys were treated at Nickel Academy. I almost bought The River awhile back but since I had never read Peter Heller, the bookstore clerk recommended I start with Celine, so I did. (3) A narrative nonfiction book I like the balance of books you presented here. The next comes from a man, seemingly in shock, who reports his wife disappeared in the woods.