The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson is published by Quercus, priced £18.99
The final part of an unlikely trilogy of best-selling Scandinavian crime novels finds the hero, computer hacker Lisbeth Salander, in hospital recovering from the violent events of the second novel.
It soon emerges that Salander, who was earlier fr
amed for several murders, is the victim of a conspiracy dreamt up to protect a group of corrupt members of Sweden's secret service.
The book goes back into the country's Cold War history to explain her troubled and violent upbringing, and this is where the problems start.
Obviously a bit of background is needed, but the plot gets lost as the reader wades through potted lessons on Swedish history and sociology. Which is a shame, because there is a cracking tale somewhere in the 600-odd pages.
Fans of the first two books – published after author Stieg Larsson died in 2004 at the age of 50 – certainly won't be put off by this, but casual readers might find it a struggle.
5/10 Review by Robert Dex
Self's Murder by Bernhard Schlink is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson, priced £16.99 Unlikely hero, philosopher and private investigator Gerhard Self returns in Bernhard Schlink's latest crime instalment, this time set in the underworld of a privately-owned German bank, Weller & Welker.
A chance rescue of the partners of the bank is the start of a case more thrilling than Self could have expected, as he finds himself caught up in the mystery of the company's success.
The drama follows an ageing Self as he finds himself involved in a kidnapping, a case of impossible paternity, a blackmail attempt and a journey of self-enlightenment.
Given German writer Schlink's similarly-veined undertaking in The Reader, the character of Self – a post-war public prosecutor turned investigator – again presents a society struggling to look back at its past and deal with the unsettling issue of responsibility.
A crime story with an edge, Schlink's quietly reflective, good-humoured and compelling novel delves deep.
9/10 Review by Laura Temple
Last Night In Twisted River by John Irving is published by Bloomsbury, priced £20Veteran American writer John Irving is a stickler for meticulous detail, and he makes his readers work hard from the outset of his latest tome as he paints an elaborate portrait of Coos County, New Hampshire, and its hapless inhabitants.
Here live cook Dominic Baciagalupo, whose awkward name we'll stumble over time and again, his young son Danny and fierce logger Ketchum. The three are tied by a series of tragic events, which cause them to go on the run for decades from the twisted Sheriff of Coos County.
In this strangely self-reflexive work, Danny grows up to be a successful author, allowing Irving to indulge in passages devoted to the art of writing. His narrative, which runs from 1954 up to 2005, meanders between past and present, while his characters are somehow unfeeling.
They muddle along through the bad and good times, with no discernible sign of emotion other than remote fatherly love.
6/10 Review by Kate Whiting
The Making Of The British Army: From The English Civil War To The War On Terror by Allan Mallinson is published by Bantam Press, priced £20 This thoroughly-enjoyable yomp through more than 350 years of British military history is essential reading for students of national defence and politics.
Allan Mallinson – himself a soldier for 35 years – makes the transition from historical fiction to military history with ease and delivers a smooth narrative across a considerable canvas.
The author of the Hervey novels takes as his starting point the New Model Army, the professional soldiers fighting for Parliament during the civil war. From there he leads us through the major campaigns and generals of the following centuries detailing how each shaped the army.
He is light-footed and thorough all the way through two world wars and right up to the most recent conflicts in Northern Ireland, Iraq and Afghanistan.
8/10 Review by Jack Doyle
The Lady In The Tower: The Fall Of Anne Boleyn by Alison Weir is published by Jonathan Cape, priced £20 Focusing on the dramatic final months of Anne Boleyn's life, this is a tale of plotting, scheming and intrigue of the Tudor court. The disgracing of Henry VIII's second wife and mother of Elizabeth I is a family scandal to rival those of today's dysfunctionals on The Jeremy Kyle Show.
Specialist royal writer Alison Weir gives an original account, wading through primary sources and previous histories of the period to sort the myth from the fact and sprinkle with colour.
The detail, and her careful weighing of the evidence often only to dismiss it as unreliable, frequently slows down an otherwise rattling good story. That is only the price of good research, though, as she demonstrates how there was far more to this ill-fated queen's execution than Henry's irritation at her failure to bear him a son.
7/10 Review by Daniel Bentley