The Sleepwalkers by Scarlett Thomas
Thomas's 14th novel is an "ambiguous chiller worthy of Patricia Highsmith", said The Telegraph. It is set in an exclusive Greek resort, to which "absurdly ill-suited" newlyweds Richard and Evelyn have come for their honeymoon. With its "highly original" narrative (one chapter is an AI-generated audio transcript), this is an "unpredictable and unputdownable summer holiday read", said the FT.
Maurice and Maralyn by Sophie Elmhirst
This "gripping" work of non-fiction revisits the story of an English couple who "sold everything", and in 1972 set sail for New Zealand, said the FT. When their boat was destroyed by a whale, they were "left adrift on a tiny raft" – and survived for 117 days by eating raw turtles. Both a love story and an epic tale of survival, "Maurice and Maralyn" is a "superb debut", said The Spectator.
Chatto & Windus, 272pp £18.99
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Pan MacMillan 304pp, £20
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Viking 272pp, £16.99
All Fours by Miranda July
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Canongate 336pp, £20
Catland by Kathryn Hughes
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Fourth Estate, 416pp £22
My Husband by Maud Ventura
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Penguin 272pp, £9.99
The Bee Sting by Paul Murray
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Penguin 656pp, £9.99
Old God’s Time by Sebastian Barry
Tom Kettle is a retired Dublin copper who "spends his days in a wicker chair gazing out at the Irish Sea", said The Times. But when two young policeman show up, asking about an old case involving "fecking priests", Kettle finds himself drawn back into his former life. Barry is one of our best writers, and his latest novel – long-listed for the Booker Prize – is "shattering".
Faber 272pp, £9.99
