After my big disappointment with The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood, I decided to read something different for a change. So instead of thrillers, I opt for Sweet Bean Paste by Durian Sukegawa, an exploration of the burden of the past and the redemptive power of friendship in an unforgiving society. Translated into English for the first time by Alison ...

Val McDermid hails The Darkest Secret by Alex Marwood as a genuinely shocking thriller where nothing is as it seems. A chilling thriller, so says Clare Mackintosh. Lisa Jewell describes it as spine-tingling and terrifying. Ruth Dugdall declares it is more twisty than Gone Girl. Amazingly gripping, that’s Sophie Hannah’s verdict. “Oh my God, it is so good!” gushes Mark ...