This week's Herald Checklist books include the long-awaited follow-up to Stieg Larsson's Millennium Trilogy, The Girl In The Spider's Web, penned by David Lagercrantz; compelling debut My Everything by Katie Marsh; The Blue Guitar by Booker Prize winner John Banville, and Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense Of The Twentieth Century by John Higgs

BOOK OF THE WEEK

My Everything by Katie Marsh is published in paperback by Hodder Paperbacks, priced £7.99 (ebook £4.99). Available now

Katie Marsh's debut novel examines the moral dilemma of a woman trapped in an increasingly unhappy relationship. Her husband suffers a stroke just as she's on the brink of leaving him. It's a fascinating Gordian knot and one that adds extra depth and humanity to the archetypal narrative of illness. The book weaves between Hannah and Tom's present and past. Marsh paints a moving portrait not only of illness, but also of a relationship's demise, as she charts the journey from the hopefulness of the couple's early years together to the dark days of their marriage. Tom's stroke is a life-changing moment for them both, but rather than descending into over-sentimentality, what follows is a compelling tale of second chances and fresh starts.

With a career in healthcare, Marsh writes with real-world experience and knowledge, but also with the assurance and finesse of a long-time author. This book is a remarkable debut about remembering what's important in life and heralds the arrival of a great new talent.

9/10

(Review by Jade Craddock)

FICTION

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett is published in hardback by Doubleday, priced £20 (ebook £7.99). Available now

Terry Pratchett's final Discworld novel, published five months after his death, can best be described as a farewell gift to his fans. It is the fifth Tiffany Aching book; a sub-series aimed at young adults charting a young girl's determination to become a witch. Tiffany finds the natural cycle of life and death has weakened barriers between the worlds. There are shocks to overcome, but malevolent elves are preparing to invade and she must face them down to protect everything she holds dear.

Newcomers will be baffled by unexplained references to canonical events and characters given the barest introduction - and there are a lot of these cameos by fan favourites. Pratchett's last adult novel Raising Steam was criticised for lacking his typical biting wit, but this does not seem as obvious here. Yes, some punchlines are predictable, but nostalgia can forgive many imperfections.

9/10

(Review by Natalie Bowen)

Asking For It by Louise O'Neill is published in hardback by Quercus, priced £12.99 (ebook £6.49). Available now

Beautiful and popular Emma O'Donovan possesses that typical teenage mix of vanity and insecurity, meaning she isn't initially the most likeable narrator. When she is discovered unconscious on her doorstep the night after a party with no recollection of how she got there, everything changes.

The follow-up to multi award-winning Only Ever Yours - a haunting Hunger Games meets America's Next Top Model tale - is equally arresting. But whereas O'Neill's debut read like science fiction, Asking For It is all too realistic. The riveting narrative draws from real life rape cases and the aftermath that is increasingly played out online. And while the inclusion of iPhones, Twitter and Snapchat in literature is often a dead give away for an adult trying desperately to grasp youth culture, that's never the case for O'Neill. Her refreshingly empathetic voice shines through despite the abuse her protagonist receives. A timely, gripping and vital novel.

9/10

(Review by Katie Wright)

The Girl In The Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz is published in hardback by MacLehose Press, priced £19.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now

Eva Gabrielsson, Stieg Larsson's partner of 32 years, called David Lagercrantz "a totally idiotic choice" to write the fourth book in the Swedish writer's Millennium series. Larsson died before The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo was even published, and although Gabrielsson has his notes for another instalment, she's refused to hand over the laptop they're saved on. So, the fact there is a fourth book at all, let alone one penned by the guy who ghost-wrote football autobiography I Am Zlatan Ibrahimovic, makes delving into The Girl In The Spider's Web murky enough, before you even reconnect with wiry punk-hacker Lisbeth Salander.

Although 'reconnect' is perhaps the wrong word... she's pretty spiky after all. In fact, relief quickly floods in as you realise Lagercrantz's Lisbeth is intact, as fierce, angry and biting a character as Larsson built her, and the same goes for her foil, investigative journalist extraordinaire, Mikael Blomkvist. This time, the pair are drawn back together to save an eminent scientist and his savant son, who, caught up in the politics of national security, ideas theft and artificial intelligence, might just end up with bullets lodged in their miraculous brains. It is swift, balanced and sensitively wrought. While Larsson's shoes will never be filled, Lagercrantz hasn't done too shoddy a job at all.

8/10

(Review by Ella Walker)

The Blue Guitar by John Banville is published in hardback by Viking, priced £14.99 (£9.49). Available September 3

Oliver Orme is a painter and a thief - well, was a painter until he lost his muse and stole his best friend's wife. As the affair unravels, he takes refuge in his childhood home, from which he narrates the story of his life and reflects on why he can no longer paint. Booker Prize winner John Banville's 16th novel is set in a mystical Ireland that's both contemporary and timeless. He once again employs an unreliable narrator whose thoughts tumble out onto the page in a stream of consciousness, which at first jars with the reader and then endears them to him. Through his musings, Orme touches on all of life - fatherhood, love and death - and Banville paints his world in such strikingly beautiful detail, he's a true poet. This is a book to savour.

8/10

(Review by Kate Whiting)

Close Your Eyes by Michael Robotham is published in hardback by Sphere, priced £19.99 (ebook £9.99). Available now

Psychologist Joe O'Loughlin must find a killer before they strike again. But with few clues and public pressure mounting, there is little going right for him and the police officers he is trying to help. All leads are dead ends and the killer appears to be on the point of getting away with murder. As O'Loughlin battles to solve the mystery and calm the local community in rural Avon, various layers of the story unfold and it soon becomes apparent the killer might be hiding in plain sight. But solving the crime comes at a high price for the eminent profiler who struggles to shield those closest to him from the horrors of his vocation.

Michael Robotham is a journalist and biographer who has ghost-written autobiographies of politicians and showbiz stars. Close Your Eyes is his tenth novel and in Joe O'Loughlin, Robotham has come up with the sort of analytical mind which is made for adaptation to the small screen. A gripping read for all lovers of crime thrillers, from a writer whose work has been lauded by the likes of Lee Child and Stephen King.

8/10

(Review by Roddy Brooks)

The Unexpected Inheritance Of Inspector Chopra by Vaseem Khan is published in hardback by Mulholland Books, priced £12.99 (ebook £6.49). Available now

Mumbai-based Inspector Chopra is forced into early retirement due to a minor problem with his heart. On his last day of work, two unexpected things show up. The first is the mysterious drowning of a boy in a sewer, while the second is the arrival of a gift from a long-lost uncle. As this is a quirky murder mystery in the vein of Alexander McCall Smith, it is the gift - a baby elephant named Ganesh - who really steals the show.

This is a light-hearted read full of colourful characters and insightful details about human motivation. Chopra's attempts to investigate the death give the author a rich opportunity to explore the stark contrasts between the worlds of slum dwellers and glitterati that characterise the city. But ultimately it is his protagonist's good heart that wins us over. Further episodes from the lovable Inspector will surely follow.

7/10

(Review by Anita Chaudhuri)

Up Against The Night by Justin Cartwright is published in hardback by Bloomsbury, priced £18.99 (ebook £11.04). Available now

South African-born writer Justin Cartwright takes us to the land of his birth for this rather pedestrian novel. It follows rich yet earnest middle-aged banker Frank McAllister as he leaves his comfy houses in Britain, where he's lived for 30 years, to visit his luxurious gated house in Cape Town, while reflecting on his rural upbringing and modern South Africa. In doing so, he is surrounded by characters from a catalogue of stereotypes: his ex-wife is mentioned only in passing but is, of course, awful. We meet his former-junkie daughter, who's now groovy and turns up with a bizarrely borrowed child. We also greet Frank's Swedish fiancee, who could only be more Scandinavian if she lived in a sauna, plus a box-ticking bitter Neanderthal Afrikaner cousin, albeit one with a backstory involving both a shark attack and Scientology. Up Against The Night may be trying to be playfully ironic and light but it requires a better person than I to appreciate it. McAllister is a pretty unlikable protagonist and his interactions with the other characters often grate. One for fans only.

4/10

(Review by David Wilcock)

NON-FICTION

Stranger Than We Can Imagine: Making Sense Of The Twentieth Century by John Higgs is published in hardback by Orion, priced £20 (ebook £13.99). Available now

His entertaining novels and distinctly non-standard biographies have long marked John Higgs out as an ambitious writer, but even by his standards, this is an audacious project. It's an attempt to explain, in one fairly slim volume, a particularly breakneck hundred years, and how its tumult led to the world we now inhabit. Heroically, he more or less pulls it off. Obviously he can't entirely avoid standard presences, such as Einstein and Stalin, but the vital roles of less famous figures - modern artist Elsa von Freytag-Loringhoven and occultist rocket scientist John Parsons - are explored just as thoroughly. The recurring theme is the undermining of traditional certainties (in physics, art, finance and more), and the painful adjustments these decentrings brought. Higgs recounts it with wide-ranging erudition and a delightful deadpan humour; a particular joy is the explanation of quantum theory via an example of Vladimir Putin fighting a kangaroo.

8/10

(Review by Alex Sarll)

Latest Readings by Clive James is published in hardback by Yale University Press, priced £12.99 (ebook £8.64). Available now

Unlike Nick Hornby's Stuff I've Been Reading, Clive James' collection of essays exploring the literature he's devoured since being diagnosed with leukaemia, lacks pace and punch. Well written yes, but not addictive, and it relies far too heavily on the reader having read as much as James. It should come with a jacket caveat stating: 'Please read all of Joseph Conrad's work before opening'. Intriguing as much as it is indulgent, James cannot help repeatedly referencing his impending - but not-quite-imminent - death. Understandable, of course, but it becomes almost blase. James fans will no doubt be enamoured, but otherwise, stick to your own reading list.

6/10

(Review by Ella Walker)

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

Pierre The Maze Detective: The Search For The Stolen Maze Stone by Hiro Kamigaki and IC4DESIGN is published in hardback by Laurence King Publishing, priced £14.95. Available September 7

Fans of Where's Wally-type books will love this stunning offering from Hiro Kamigaki and Hiroshima-based illustrator collective, IC4DESIGNS. Already a huge hit across Southeast Asia, the original Japanese version has now been translated into English - and yes, while the intricate illustrations are the main appeal, the words are important too. The challenge goes far beyond locating hero Pierre in the jam-packed scenes. The reader also has to help him and pal Carmen find clues and various hidden objects, and navigate their way around a series of mazes from the 'start' to the 'goal' point on each page. This will stop Mr X, the Phantom Thief, turning the whole of Opera City into a maze. Suitable for ages eight and above, it's a joy to simply gaze and get lost in the labyrinthine scenes, while older kids - and adults - can occupy eyes and brains conquering Pierre's challenge. A total delight.

10/10

(Review by Abi Jackson)

BESTSELLERS FOR WEEK ENDING AUGUST 29

HARDBACKS

1. Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett

2. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

3. Everyday Super Food by Jamie Oliver

4. The Taming of the Queen by Philippa Gregory

5. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

6. Demon Road by Derek Landy

7. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee

8. A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara

9. Sweet Caress:The Many Lives of Amory Clay by William Boyd

10. Early One Morning by Virginia Baily

(Compiled by Waterstones)

PAPERBACKS

1. Mightier Than the Sword:The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer

2. Village Of Secrets: Defying The Nazis In Vichy France, Caroline Moorehead

3. Paper Towns by John Green

4. The Enchanted April, Elizabeth von Arnim

5. After The Crash by Michel Bussi

6. The Dinosaur That Pooped the Bed! by Tom Fletcher & Dougie Poynter

7. Enchanted Forest: An Inky Treasure Hunt And Colouring Book by Johanna Basford

8. The Scarecrows' Wedding, Julia Donaldson

9. Secret Garden: An Inky Treasure Hunt And Colouring Book by Johanna Basford

10. All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

(Compiled by Waterstones)

EBOOKS

1. Still Waters by Viveca Sten

2. How I Lost You by Jenny Blackhurst

3. A Land Divided by K M. Ashman

4. Love You Better by Natalie K Martin

5. My Sister's Secret by Tracy Buchanan

6. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

7. No-One Ever Has Sex In The Suburbs by Tracy Bloom

8. The Girl in the Spider's Web by David Lagercrantz

9. A Tap on the Window by Linwood Barclay

10. Abducted by T. R. Ragan

(Compiled by amazon.co.uk)