‘It was a good day to be free of prison.’ So begins David Baldacci’s One Good Deed … his latest release which, as always, keeps readers’ adrenalin running high. When Aloysius Archer gets out of prison, he heads for Poca City, with just the clothes he’s wearing and an appointment with his parole officer. A chance meeting sees him offered a job as a debt collector – but all’s not above board, and if Aloysius wants to avoid heading back behind bars, he’s got his work cut out for him. Macmillan, R299.
• A new home in the suburbs offers a fresh start to a family of four. It’s on a quiet, leafy road, with good schools, and is close to the sea and a comfortable commute to London. Perfect. All bar the fact that it appears to be the hunting ground for a serial killer. Fiona Cummins’ The Neighbour is as thrilling as it gets. Macmillan, R290. • Blood in the Water by Jack Flynn is set in Boston’s underworld, where the harbour chief, his 19-year-old daughter and a homeland security agent are caught up in a deadly game of cat and mouse with international terrorists. Macmillan, R299.
