Moon Sugar, by Angela Meyer

A young Australian sex worker goes missing in Berlin and, as he left a note, the Police rule the case a suicide. Back in Melbourne, his flatmate and his sugar mummy are in grief and disbelief and separately make their ways to Europe to try to find out what happened. There Kyle and Mila team up and, as well as investigating Josh’s movements, each goes on a journey of self-discovery. So far so good. Mila and Josh had been involved in some kind of experiment with consciousness, possibly involving drugs, which seems to have triggered his disappearance. How does this link to the experiences of an American astronaut 23 years previously, who is dealing with the aftermath of a mistake made in space? The answer is beyond stupid, with a bizarre and holey plot, cardboard characters, a didactic tone and a ludicrous outcome. The real question is how does drek like this get published?

The Ink-Black Heart, by Robert Galbraith

The latest Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott murder mystery delves into the murky world of online trolling, toxic gamers and incitement to hatred. Thrown in for good measure is a far right terrorism cell, a paedophilia angle and a large dose of misogyny. That is is a lot. An interesting topic and two appealing detectives should provide a meaty story, but there is so much flab on the meat it gets exhausting. The structure of online messages between a huge range of suspects and hangers on is very small print and therefore difficult to read, and difficult to follow when three threads run at once. Although it does give a clear picture of the tone of online interactions and how they can be manipulated and get out of hand. At the same time there are so many characters with so much going on that it becomes really confusing as to who exactly knew what and when. The actual mystery is underpinned by the URST between the business partners, which after five years is getting kind of tedious. While the state of their feelings is progressed by the end of this book, there is clearly still a long way to go and the progress is achieved through an array of flabby subplots that pad out the action. The result is a novel of more than a thousand pages, which is just ridiculous. By the time you finally get to the end and discover the killer, you almost don’t care, it’s just a relief to finally finish.

Bridgerton season 2 (Netflix)

As with the books, number 2 focuses on the eldest Bridgerton son, Anthony. Dedicated to finding the perfect viscountess, without emotional attachment, he finds himself torn between the two Sharma sisters, feisty Kate and demure Edwina. Meanwhile his sister Eloise struggles with the constraints of society while making her debut and brother Colin wonders what to do with his life. Lady Whistledown continues to uncover all the gossip, but is in great danger of being unmasked. The season suffers for the lack of Rege-Jean Page, who does not make even a cameo appearance as the duke, although his duchess is present. It is less sexy than the first and the storyline is less compelling, but the casting is still delightfully diverse and the music and costumes are sumptuous. Season 3 teasers have recently been dropped and will depart from the order of the books to focus on third brother Colin rather than second brother Benedict’s story. This makes a lot of sense and hopefully the producers will shake up other aspects.

A Psalm for the Wild Built, by Becky Chambers

The moon of Panga was taken to the brink of environmental catastrophe before its human population came to its senses and restored the balance. Now half the moon has been given over to nature, while humanity has built a sustainable society in the other half. At some point in its history the robots, who were part of the overdevelopment crisis, attained consciousness and, rather than accept citizenship, opted to leave and explore the regenerating wilderness. Now gardening monk Sibling Dex has an overwhelming desire to leave the city and changes his vocation to tea service monk, taking to country roads to dispense tea and sympathy to whomever needs it. Despite excelling in their new vocation Dex is still unsatisfied, feeling a pull to the wilderness. There they meet Mosscap, a robot that has volunteered to check in on the human population. This gives Dex a new perspective on life, the moon and everything. Becky Chambers tackles some deep philosophical issues in this deceptively simple novella of friendship and journey. Short and sweet, it lights a pathway to a better way of living and promises more to come.

Dead Lions, by Mick Herron

A relict of the Berlin Zoo of the 80s, former minor spy asset Dickie Bow is found dead on a regional bus, with mystery surrounding the whys and wherefores. Is a long-dormant Russian sleeper cell awake, or is it an elaborate ruse to fool the intelligence services and divert their resources? And can the Slow Horses save the day or will they completely balls it up? Ambition rules decisions made at all levels of MI5. Those in the inner sanctum at Regents’ Park want to climb the ranks. Those in the outer reaches of Slough House, the screw-up ‘slow horses’, are desperate to make it back to the main game. A sequel to Slow Horses, this tight, tense and tart tale keeps the outcome in doubt until the end. Some relationships among the Slough House crew are strengthened and some are lost as the ill-assorted team gropes its way to the truth, and makes progress in operating as a team.

Emily (2022), directed by Frances O’Connor

There is a school of thought among the literati that elevates the novel Wuthering Heights as the greatest ever written. This premise seems to have informed Frances O’Connor’s writing and directing of this film about the middle Bronte sister. It is one thing to invent a passionate and doomed affair with a curate to explain the depth and breadth of imagination that came up with such an extraordinary story. It is quite another to ignore or distort known facts to serve the film’s narrative arc. Prolific novelist Charlotte apparently gave up writing during her teaching career and was only inspired by Emily’s success to take it up again after her sister’s death. Anne’s writing is never alluded to, despite her authorship of two exceptional novels. Small things are also annoying, such as Emily’s name appearing on her book, when it is well known that all three sisters used male pen names in order to get published. What does ring true is the problematic character of brother Branwell, and the portrayal of sibling rivalry between Emily and Charlotte is interesting and credible. Shaky hand-held camera work, some strange editing choices and occasionally overblown music detract from what is overall a quite beautiful, if uneven, film. It is held together by Emma Mackey’s mesmerising lead performance and a strong supporting cast.

The Last Party, by Claire Mackintosh

After a wild New Year’s Eve party a man is found dead in a lake on the border of England and North Wales. Was it accident, suicide or murder? Welsh detective Ffion Morgan and English copper Leo Brady find no shortage of motives or suspects for murder, but their complicated personal lives threaten to impede their investigations. An awkward structure zips back and forth in time between present day, the party and the weeks and months leading up to the party. The present day narrative switches between the perspective of the two detectives, while the flashbacks illuminate the points of view of an enormous variety of characters, including the dead man. The confusion this causes is only exacerbated by all accounts being written in present tense. The setting, with its border tensions, is really interesting, as is the interaction between the two detectives. But there are so many characters, with so many issues, it’s hard to keep track of what is going on. Everyone’s life is a soap opera, to the point of ridiculousness but apparently kept secret even in a small Welsh village. Billed as the first DC Morgan mystery, it’s hard to see how Ffion could remain a police officer after the, literally incredible, events of this book. Perhaps the Welsh borders are set to become the new Midsummer.