BOOK OF THE WEEK

Blood Divide by John Sadler is published in paperback by Lion Fiction, priced £7.99 (ebook £5.85). Available now

The battle of Flodden says as much about the bloody co-existence of Scotland and England as any other date in history.

In 1513, King James IV of Scotland invaded England while King Henry VIII was away trying to expand his empire from Calais further into France. With superior numbers and the latest artillery, it looked set for a Scottish victory but, as with the latest political machinations of the country's future, things did not go as forecast.

John Sadler is a respected historian and author of more than two dozen books, most of them about the business of war. Blood Divide brings the filth and fear of battle to life and also paints a revealing picture of the politics which go on behind the scenes.

Leaning on his vast knowledge and the kind of research which can only come from visiting the scenes of the centuries' old crimes, Sadler's story of Flodden leaves little to the imagination.

Delivered in the words of the main protagonists, it brings the sights and sounds of war almost leaping out at the reader, leaving no doubt about the suffering inflicted upon thousands at the whim of kings and their cohorts.

The battle of Flodden was one of the bloodiest ever fought on British soil and Sadler's descriptive powers encapsulate the pain felt by those at the blunt end of the argument.

It is a relief that centuries later, the old foes settle their differences at the ballot box and on the sports field rather than in the bloody way Sadler has so superbly brought to life in his book.

8/10

(Review by Roddy Brooks)

FICTION

After Helen by Paul Cavanagh is published in paperback by Not That London, priced £11.50 (ebook £3.99). Available now

After Helen is a moving look at love, loss and the challenges of modern parenthood. The story focuses on unassuming history teacher Irving who is trying to come to terms with the recent death of his enigmatic wife Helen, whilst also attempting to parent his increasingly wild daughter Severn. It's a situation made all the more poignant by author Paul Cavanagh jumping back in time every alternate chapter, so that the reader can witness the early days of Irving and Helen's relationship and the circumstances in which they had their daughter. While a constantly changing narrative can sometimes feel disorientating, here it works incredibly well, with the contrast creating suspense and anticipation, as well as giving insight into the complex motivations of each of the characters. An absorbing and deeply touching debut, After Helen is a whirlwind of a novel that, once started, is incredibly difficult to put down.

8/10

(Review by Alison Potter)

The Darkest Hour by Tony Schumacher is published in paperback by William Morrow, priced £7.99 (ebook £3.66). Available now

Tony Schumacher's debut novel is a bleak thriller that imagines life in a Great Britain fallen into Nazi hands. It is a world in which disillusioned war heroes wind up working for the Gestapo and resistance groups fight each other rather than their common enemy. The discovery of a young Jewish boy destined for a death camp turns his collaborator lead character into a one man resistance movement and sends them scurrying across a beaten down London pursued by all sides. First time novelist Schumacher fuels the story with a supporting cast of untrustworthy minor characters and a plot powered by an overwhelming sense of paranoia. The reader is kept guessing who to trust throughout and left guessing by an open-ended solution that hints a sequel might be on the cards.

7/10

(Review by Robert Dex)

A Dancer In The Dust by Thomas H. Cook is published in hardback by Head of Zeus, priced £18.99 (ebook £2.99). Available now

This starts off as a simple whodunit: New York risk assessor Ray Campbell discovers a man he once knew in the fictional African country Lubanda has been found dead outside a New York hotel. Ray turns detective to find out why he was in the country, but the novel's richness comes from his memories as an aid worker two decades before, in particular his relationship with white Lubandan Martine. What follows is a critique of the effect of Western aid, the naivete of 'doing good' and the insidiousness of racism, all of which are more interesting than the murder mystery. Established US writer Cook is known for being experimental and this latest effort occupies the very edge of the crime genre.

7/10

(Review by Natalie Bowen)

NON-FICTION

A Brief Stop On The Road From Auschwitz by Goran Rosenberg is published in hardback by Granta, priced £16.99. Available now

A read about a prisoner of war's experiences is never easy or upbeat but A Brief Stop On The Road From Auschwitz, originally published in Swedish, is handled more delicately and sensitively because the POW in question is Goran Rosenberg's own father, David. Using personal photos, letters and other documents, the Swedish writer delves into his Jewish roots and retraces his dad's journey from the Lodz Ghetto in Poland through to the brutal Auschwitz-Birkenau, where he is separated from his beloved Halinka (Hala) and his family. Stints in other gruelling concentration camps were to follow, before he was finally granted his freedom and settled in Sweden when the Second World War ended. But the end of war doesn't put his father's mind at ease and the shadows of the camps continue to haunt him as he struggles to build a new life in a new country. Rosenberg then analyses his childhood and trawls through his own memories, which contrast with his father's troubled thoughts, in his search for answers. Rosenberg's moving and at times, unflinchingly honest, account has been well received in Sweden, where it was deservedly awarded the August Prize for literature in 2012. His story will stay with you long after you've closed the book.

8/10

(Review by Shereen Low)

The Heineken Story: The Remarkably Refreshing Tale Of The Beer That Conquered The World by Barbara Smit is published in paperback by Profile, priced £9.99 (ebook £4.80). Available now

Coinciding with the Dutch lager's 150th anniversary - a film follows - The Heineken Story is a one-sided account of the beer's journey from family roots, through two World Wars, to eventual international dominance. Early chapters on 19th century brewing and links to the Dutch resistance in WWII are fascinating but unexplored, giving way to apparent hero Freddy Heineken, the playboy-cum-business genius responsible for wresting the company back under family control, infidelity and flaws balanced by wits and commercial astuteness (and whose 1983 kidnapping provides a thrilling if incongruous interlude). Smit portrays Heineken as pioneers, illuminating the research and running battles with rival brands, which their success entailed: from green bottles in New York to the weaker beer and famed 'refreshing' campaigns which conquered the UK, it is a veritable marketing masterclass, placing Heineken at the top of the tree and apparently earning them the right to publish their own history.

4/10

(Review by Michael Anderson)

CHILDREN'S BOOK OF THE WEEK

Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar by Emily MacKenzie is published in paperback by Bloomsbury, priced £6.99. Available January 15

There are some books that try to get kids more interested in reading and going to the library by very obviously ramming the idea down their young throats. Emily MacKenzie's debut, luckily, is not one of them. Instead, it's a delightful tale about a bunny whose love of books turns him into a thief. "He crept off with comics, dashed away with dictionaries, nabbed novels and pinched poetry." And then he steals from fellow book lover Arthur. But Arthur can't convince his mum and his teacher that there's a bunny burglar on the loose - and even PC Puddle has a good giggle at his story. Until Ralfy makes the mistake of breaking into the policeman's home and getting caught red (read?) handed. After a very funny bunny suspect line-up, Arthur introduces Ralfy to the concept of 'borrowing' books, from the library and the two become firm friends. A joyous little adventure, with cute and eye-catching pictures that will have your little ones asking for it to be read all over again.

8/10

(Review by Kate Whiting)

BESTSELLERS FOR WEEK ENDING DECEMBER 27

HARDBACKS

1. Guy Martin: My Autobiography, Guy Martin

2. The Miniaturist, Jessie Burton

3. Jamie's Comfort Food, Jamie Oliver

4. The Churchill Factor: How One Man Made History, Boris Johnson

5. Guinness World Records 2015

6. Girl Online, Zoe Sugg

7. Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul, Jeff Kinney

8. Revolution, Russell Brand

9. H Is For Hawk, Helen MacDonald

10. Awful Auntie, David Walliams

(Compiled by Waterstones)

PAPERBACKS

1. The Guest Cat, Takashi Hiraide

2. Mystery in White: A Christmas Crime Story: British Library Crime Classic, J Jefferson Farjeon

3. Test Your Cat: The Cat IQ Test, EM Bard

4. Test Your Dog:Is Your Dog an Undiscovered Genius?, Rachel Federman

5. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

6. I am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, Malala Yousafzai and Christina Lamb

7. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt

8. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler

9. Alan Turing: The Enigma: The Book That Inspired the Film, the Imitation, Andrew Hodges

10. This Boy, Alan Johnson

(Compiled by Waterstones)

EBOOKS

1. The State We're In, Adele Parks

2. Sleepyhead (Tom Thorne Novels Book 1), Mark Billingham

3. The Black Echo (Harry Bosch Book 1), Michael Connelly

4. Stardust, Neil Gaiman

5. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larsson

6. Hide Her Name, Nadine Dorries

7. Sleep Tight, Rachel Abbott

8. Gone Girl, Gillian Flynn

9. The Next Always:: The Inn at Boonsboro Trilogy: Book One, Nora Roberts

10. We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves, Karen Joy Fowler

(Compiled by amazon.co.uk)