You will definitely read The Solitary House from beginning to end, though perhaps not without some difficulty, if you tend to want to get on with things. Author Lynn Shepherd’s well-received debut novel, Murder at Mansfield Park, was a literate re-thinking of Jane Austen’s style and métier, while her new novel ambitiously sets out to re-imagine the world and words of Charles Dickens’ Bleak House.

Charles Maddox, a bright, irascible and somewhat quick-tempered guy, is trying to earn his living as a private sleuth in 1850s London, after being sacked by the London police. He’s hired by eminent attorney Edward Tulkinghorn, ostensibly to find the source of threatening letters that some of his clients have received. But Tulkinghorn is seeking something of quite a different nature. Charles tumbles to the fact that he’s being used for another purpose—protecting the terrible secrets of some of the city’s most influential powerbrokers—and he discovers deadly purpose and personal danger behind a string of horrific murders that have dogged his steps since taking Tulkinghorn’s assignment. In his detecting, he benefits from sporadic but incisive help from his great-uncle Maddox, now suffering from encroaching dementia, but once a legendary detective and “thief taker” in his own right. Charles also has another client, a man seeking the possible whereabouts of a long-missing grandchild.

This tasty slice of Victoriana is sure to resonate with fans of the genre.

Readers will quickly figure out that the two storylines are eventually going to intersect, but getting to the denouement is a complicated and sometimes hair-raising experience. The plot moves through dark streets and alleys in a gritty, grimy Victorian London that shows a sinister underbelly far scarier than could ever be imagined.

Fans of Charles Dickens will revel in this engrossing tale featuring an attractive and stubborn sleuth, though it may be a harder slog for those who like a more straightforward narrative. Besides two narrative points of view (one that follows Charles, unaccountably couched in the present tense, and one simply called “Hester’s Narrative”), there’s a third anonymous narrator, a kind of one-man Greek chorus, whose comments pop up occasionally while adding little to the story’s progression. These can be a distraction in a story already bursting with compelling scenes and characters. The author’s obvious descriptive skills, meticulous research into the era and fine storytelling ability would stand out even more without the narrative complications. However, this tasty slice of Victoriana is sure to resonate with fans of the genre.

Family intrigue at its most seamy and dramatic, plus his usual firm grasp of lawyerly tactics and tricks, distinguish Richard North Patterson’s new thriller, Fall from Grace. The former trial lawyer has concocted a fine tale to complement his list of bestsellers stretching back to 1979.

Adam Blaine returns to his family home on Martha’s Vineyard after a decade’s absence; he’s there to join his family in burying their father, an illustrious writer and adventurer who has been killed after a fall from a cliff. The reasons for Adam’s absence and long estrangement from his father emerge slowly over the course of the book, and the effect is like a rolling snowball gathering weight and mass. Patterson’s taut, wired writing reveals one complication after another as family members interact and gradually disclose their secrets.

“There are reasons why we become the way we are, which often aren’t apparent on the surface of our lives."

Ben could have committed suicide, fallen by accident or been pushed to his death—and his family members have a welter of motives. His wife may be victim or catalyst; his brother a sadly demeaned sibling or secret protagonist; his sons loving brothers or pawns in a disjointed rivalry; his lover—the last of a long line—a clever liar or a woman innocent of all except her genuine love for the dead man. Complicating matters, the powerful and charismatic Ben has left behind a recently changed will, with his wife deprived of her rights to the family estate.

As a covert CIA operative whose training ground includes secret ops in Afghanistan, Adam should be the perfect person to untangle the mess. Only trouble is, he’s part of the family history of rivalry and deceit. He is also afraid of the answers he may uncover, ones that will forever change his perception of himself and others close to him.

Patterson is a master storyteller. His narrative appears to be straightforward, but as you continue turning the pages you'll realize he’s hooked you into something much more intricate and complicated. He makes use of his characters' slightest conversational nuance or subtle change of expression, weaving the inconsistencies into a clever, absorbing plot. “There are reasons why we become the way we are, which often aren’t apparent on the surface of our lives,” says Adam at one point. This turns out to be a truth at the heart of this complicated, intriguing book, one that will attract newcomers and longtime Patterson fans alike.

Crime and politics in sub-Saharan Africa keep a tight hold on readers of Those Who Love Night, a truly fine mystery by acclaimed author Wessel Ebersohn. This tense, elegantly written narrative is the second in a series starring Abigail Bukula, a young South African lawyer in her country’s Department of Justice.

Bukula sets out to unravel a twisted skein of terror in Zimbabwe after she is informed that a cousin she never knew existed is reportedly imprisoned in a jail known for its brutality and corruption. Known for her outspokenness and determination, she agrees to help a naive young Zimbabwean lawyer who is defending the prisoner and the rest of his group—the Harare Seven—who are being held as radicals and resisters by the country’s new dictatorial government. Leaving her husband and safe environment behind, Bukula travels to Zimbabwe to learn the truth about her cousin and help the dissidents, thus sparking a tangled series of events and illuminations—and propelling her headlong into grave peril, as her every move is known by the government in power. The iron fist in a velvet glove is worn by the powerful and mesmerizing Jonas Chunga, in charge of public relations in the regime’s Central Intelligence Organization. He is physically and emotionally drawn to Bukula—and the feeling is mutual—but there may be terrible reasons for Chunga’s attraction.

The extraordinary and aggressive Bukula discovers herself suddenly vulnerable, and a violent death of her host, lawyer Krisj Patel, serves only to further sever her connection to safety. Help unexpectedly arrives in the form of Yudel Gordon, a South African corrections officer with whom Bukula has worked in the past. Along with his initially reluctant wife, Rosa, Yudel jeopardizes life and limb to help Bukula discover the truth behind the Seven’s imprisonment. Rosa, who initially appears almost as a footnote to the story, develops a depth and importance that enhances and enlarges this terrifying, unrelenting and provocative tale that reaches back into the depths of Bukula’s family history.

Author Wessel lets us linger on each fascinating character who plays a role in Those Who Love Night. We hope to hear more from Bukula and her talented creator in the future.