MUST READS
MUST READS
As a child, Willder was fascinated by words and grew up to be a blurb writer
BLURB YOUR ENTHUSIASM
by Louise Willder (Oneworld £9.99, 352 pp)
As a child, Willder was fascinated by words and grew up to be a blurb writer.
'On one level,' she writes, 'a blurb is a frippery' — but a frippery with a long and fascinating history dating back to the Romans, when the poet Martial wrote his own sales copy.
Some authors are allergic to them: in 2021, Jeanette Winterson set fire to her own novels in protest at their blurbs.
Writing a great blurb is harder than you might think — Willder quotes some magnificently terrible examples, including one for Pride And Prejudice: 'Lock up your daughters . . . Darcy's in town!'
With chapters on swearing, spoilers and silliness (all acceptable in moderation), Willder makes a fine case for the blurb as an art form in its own right.
Constantine's destiny as a well-born young woman was to marry well and produce an heir
READY FOR ABSOLUTELY NOTHING
by Susannah Constantine (Michael Joseph £10.99, 368 pp)
Constantine's destiny as a well-born young woman was to marry well and produce an heir. She grew up on a country estate, then launched herself into the world of Sloane Rangers.
There she met Princess Margaret's son, David Linley, and their years as a couple yield a treasure trove of anecdotes, from the Queen and Margaret Thatcher wrestling for control of a teapot, to Princess Margaret's surprisingly practical way with a loo emergency.
But Linley wouldn't propose and Susannah, heartbroken, moved on to cricketer Imran Khan (definitely not husband material).
Her book is a riot of celebrity gossip (Elton John is a chum) but, amid the jokes and glamour, she reveals the damage inflicted by a family as dysfunctional as it was privileged.
Feisty, funny and fiercely honest, this is a story of the Sloane who got away.
Hallet's latest mystery opens with a conundrum: a safe deposit box contains documents and a note that challenge the reader to make a decision — do nothing, or alert the police
THE MYSTERIOUS CASE OF THE ALPERTON ANGELS
by Janice Hallett (Viper £9.99, 512 pp)
Hallet's latest mystery opens with a conundrum: a safe deposit box contains documents and a note that challenge the reader to make a decision — do nothing, or alert the police.
Eighteen years ago, the mutilated bodies of three people — apparently members of a cult known as the Alperton Angels — were found in a warehouse.
A teenage boy and girl who joined the cult were taken into care.
The whereabouts of the girl's baby remains a mystery.
Best-selling true crime author Amanda Bailey is writing a book on the case and must track down those involved.
Laying a paper trail of interviews, news reports and emails, Hallett's gripping novel dares the reader to beat Amanda to the dark and twisted truth.
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