THRILLERS  | Daily Mail Online

SEVEN LIES

by Elizabeth Kay (Sphere £12.99 384 pp)

This widely anticipated debut comes surrounded by a lot of hype, sold to 25 countries, plus a hotly contested auction for TV rights. It is the story of an extraordinarily close friendship between two women, Jane and Marnie, who have known each other since they were 11.

In their 20s, both marry but the relationship remains as close as ever until Jane’s husband, Jonathan, is killed in a road accident. Heartbroken, she turns to her friend, but Marnie is wrapped up in her wealthy husband Charles, whom Jane finds difficult to like.

Dislike turns to hatred, and Jane becomes determined to reclaim their intense friendship, no matter how many lies she has to tell. Slowly Jane’s journey morphs into an obsession, and it becomes ever more difficult to sympathise with her. She warrants loathing rather than loving, and makes for uncomfortable reading, which makes the hype seem a little overdone.

TO KILL A MAN

by Sam Bourne (Quercus £14.99, 448 pp)

Bourne is the nom de plume of the talented journalist and historian Jonathan Freedland, who has sculpted a second career as a thriller writer. This is his eighth, and it displays all the inside knowledge and plot twists on show in his bestseller, To Kill The President.

Once again it features his Washington insider, Maggie Costello, who had been working in the White House but now is a freelance strategist. She’s approached by lawyer Natasha Winthrop, a rising star on Capitol Hill, who has become a TV celebrity in a set of hearings in Congress and is now being talked about as a possible presidential candidate in this election year.

One night Winthrop is attacked by a man in her home, who tries to rape her, but she hits him on the temple with a bust of Cicero, killing him instantly. But were there other reasons for the attack? Is it murder?

Costello begins a search for answers, which provide the rich tapestry of this strikingly good thriller with a contemporary feel.

WALK THE WIRE

by David Baldacci (Macmillan £18.99, 432 pp)

FBI consultant Amos Decker — possessed of a photographic memory — and his colleague Alex Jamison are at the heart of Baldacci’s latest atmospheric story set in the remote town of London in North Dakota, at the heart of the famous Badlands.

The naked and mutilated body of a woman is found by a hunter. It looks as though an autopsy has been conducted in the wild.

But why should that interest the FBI? Decker can only speculate, but when he and Jamison reach London they find a town in the midst of a fracking boom, while a mysterious religious sect has set down roots beside a secretive military installation.

As bodies mount and Decker finds himself at risk, he is joined by another of Baldacci’s splendidly drawn characters, the fearsome black-ops specialist Will Robbie. Together they realise that there are shadowy forces keen to ensure the fracking fails.

Sinewy, and written with Baldacci’s consummate skill, this is a thriller from the top drawer.