10 books to mark

By Alan Taylor and Rosemary Goring

Next week is Guy Fawkes' night, so to celebrate that act of treason here are ten novels about betrayal and deceit.

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

The friendship between a wealthy Afghani boy and his father's servant's son is played out over three decades, as the rich boy eventually tries to atone for an act he could have prevented.

A Game of Thrones, by George R R Martin

The first of Martin's fantasy novels, it makes Guy Fawkes look like Francis of Assisi. Introducing a cast of vipers, its basic message is that it is better to kill than to be killed. Who could disagree?

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexander Dumas

This swashbuckling thriller depicts Edmond Dantes's release from wrongful imprisonment, and his revenge upon those who conspired to have him incarcerated. Great sword fights and repartee, and good for brushing up on Napoleonic history too.

The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald

Fitzgerald's brilliant social tragedy is set in wealthy America in the 1920s, and revolves around glamorous Daisy Buchanan and the mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby, who hopes to rekindle their old relationship. Daisy's husband is having an affair, and soon so is she. The results are bloody.

Atonement, by Ian McEwan

As the title suggests, this is a story told in hindsight, as the central character, Briony, tries to make amends for a terrible mistake she made as a young girl, which led to a man being wrongly accused of rape. An evocative depiction of the dangers of innocence and ignorance in the face of uncomfortable reality.

Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov

Humbert Humbert, a writer, marries a woman only to gain access to her 12-year-old daughter, whom he calls Lolita. When his wife dies, Humbert has unlimited access to his stepdaughter, and his appetites grow. An hauntingly unpleasant tale, its melodramatic ending pales in comparison to the central crime of the book.

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, by Muriel Spark

Set in a middle-class school in 1930s Edinburgh, this novel is often thought of as picaresque and droll, but at its heart are two fanatics. One is Miss Jean Brodie herself, who is in love with il Duce and all things Italian, and tries to meddle with her classmates' lives; the other is Sandy, the precocious pupil she treats as a confidante, who ultimately brings her disgrace. As Sandy later explains, "it's only possible to betray where loyalty is due".

Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson

One of the finest adventure stories ever written, it's the tale of David Balfour, whose wicked uncle tries to have him murdered before he can claim his inheritance. Set in 1751, this atmospheric thriller sees the hero encounter the Jacobite Alan Breck Stewart, who steals every scene.

Macbeth, by Shakespeare

The Bard's fantastical account of medieval Scottish kingship is a classic of double-dealing, in which the nobleman Macbeth slays the king and claims the throne, only to realise his problems have just begun. A peerless tale of ambition, murder and guilt.

I Married a Communist, by Philip Roth

An account of a radio star called Ira Ringold, as seen by Roth's regular narrator, Nathan Zuckerman, it shows the actor's ruin at the hands of McCarthyite zealots, and his vindictive wife and daughter. The story depicts the many betrayals that bring Iron Rinn to his knees, but some believed the novel to be revenge by Roth on his former wife Claire Bloom, who bears some resemblance to Ringold's embittered spouse.