One Song, by AJ Betts

Aspiring singer-songwriter Eva is desperate to win the Triple-J unearthed high competition and now in Year 12 it’s her last chance. Her good friend (and crush) Cooper has recruited a band to boost her chances; laid back drummer Ant and intensely grumpy bassist Ruby. After five weeks of rehearsals The Errants are set to spend the final weekend before the deadline recording and mixing the song in Cooper’s studio in the garden of his musician dad’s mansion. To make things interesting Cooper has invited Mim along to film a cinema verité documentary for her Year 11 media project. What follows is a weekend of mayhem as, led by a recalcitrant Ruby, the band rejects Eva’s song and even the band’s name and they have to come up with a new one. What can go wrong? A violent thunderstorm and blackout; an untimely period; mental health issues; bodgy maths; and heartbreak are just a few of the weekend’s complications. There is a lot going on this tale of talented teens trying to break into the music industry, much of it entertaining, little of it credible, especially the characters.

The Secret Hours, by Mick Herron

There’s not a tardy nag in sight in this Slow Horses-adjacent tale that offers the perspective of long-suffering civil servants who support the parliament. The Monochrome inquiry into misconduct of the British secret services has been set up by politicians and their apparatchiks to spike the guns of MI5’s First Desk (she goes unnamed but it’s clearly Diana Taverner). She has found a way to make it totally ineffectual, wasting the time, lives and careers of everyone involved. That is until the Otis file is leaked to the inquiry and the first genuine witness is interviewed after two years of operation. Monochrome is quickly shut down, but the civil servants involved decide not leave any loose ends and hear the witness out. Her tale reveals an off-the books operation in post-wall Berlin and its lingering effects to the present day. Although the protagonists are not identified by their real names, it becomes clear that this is the story of how Jackson Lamb came to run Slough House. It fills in the details of several backgrounds and connections along the way, leading to a very satisfying resolution that provides both justice (or revenge) and understanding on a number of levels.

Vigil (ITV) Season 1

Nuclear submarine Vigil is off the coast of Scotland, as part of Britain’s proactive defensive shield when a crew member dies in suspicious circumstances. Because of the location it comes under the jurisdiction of the Glasgow police and Detective Inspector Amy Silva is helicoptered to the sub to investigate, along with a replacement crew member. For security reasons she can receive messages but not send any and that’s not the least of the obstacles to her work. Ongoing fallout from a tragedy in her past severely affects her ability to operate in confined spaces and enlisting a colleague who is former lover to assist the case could hinder as much as it helps. The Navy, Police and Security Services must overcome their mutual suspicion and hostility to help Silva find a killer who threatens the nation. The always excellent Suranne Jones leads the way through six tense, action-packed episodes, supported by a strong cast of familiar faces including Rose Leslie and an almost unrecognisable Shaun Evans. Hopefully the high quality can be maintained for the recently released second season, although apparently it's still called Vigil although nowhere near the sub.

An Expert in Murder, by Nicola Upson

In the 1930s writer Josephine Tey travels from Scotland to London for the final week of her play in the West End. A young woman is brutally murdered at the end of the train journey and her connection to the play draws Josephine into the investigation. Another murder then makes it clear that everyone involved in the play is at risk, especially its writer. Between the wars is a fascinating period to set a story. The legacy of the great war lingers, affecting former soldiers and civilians who lost people in different but equally damaging ways. And the prospect of another global conflict looms, with chilling effect. It is an interesting choice to base it on a real person, or the pseudonym of one. Josephine Tey was an accomplished writer of detective fiction, who never received the recognition of her (arguably) lesser contemporaries. This novel aims to emulate Tey’s skill, but falls a little short with too many coincidences and convenient connections between people inhabiting a world not that small.

Still Life, by Louise Penny

Retired schoolteacher Jane Neal is found dead in the woods near her home, in a small village on the Canadian-US border. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache and his team travel from Montreal to investigate whether this is murder or an accident covered up by an errant bow hunter. This involves looking into Jane’s unpleasant family and delightful artist friends and digging into the history of the small historic town. There are too many points of view and too much disconnected dialogue in this crime novel, which has a lovely sense of place but a very confusing sense of time. Published in 2005, it was acclaimed and sparked a series featuring the wise detective. This is odd because so many plot elements and characters just don’t ring true. Perhaps subsequent stories improve, but there are too many other books in the world to be bothered finding out.

Marcel – The Shell with Shoes On (2021), directed by Dean Fleischer Camp

A documentary within a documentary, this film was Oscar nominated and won several awards for best animated feature. It follows the life of a one-inch shell, Marcel, who lives with his grandmother in an Air B&B, and his friendship with filmmaker Dean. The old-school stop motion animation is brilliantly intertwined with live action to make the film visually very appealing. But the messaging about the importance of making connection is laid on pretty thick and the story is twee and, at 90 minutes, too long. Isabella Rossellini is wonderful as the voice of Grandma Connie, but it probably would have been better to cast a boy actor as Marcel, rather than co-writer Jenny Slate.

The Catch, by Mick Herron

Billed as a Slough House novella, this is more a short story that fills in a small gap between a couple of the novels. John Bachelor is a fringe member of the secret services, employed part time as a ‘milkman’ – keeping contact with superannuated agents. Bad choices and bad luck have left him on the brink of homelessness, which leaves him vulnerable to exploitation. Enter a murky off-the books MI5 operation to save a royal reputation by misleading and embarrassing the media, with John the perfect patsy to ensure it all comes off. As with the novels, Herron perfectly captures the tenor of the times, tapping into current events without naming names and painting a bleakly funny picture of how the secret services operate in the public interest – or not.

Lessons in Chemistry (Apple TV+)

Elizabeth Zott is a brilliant chemist with a strong work ethic, but this is the 1950s so she is underemployed, underpaid and undervalued by the lab she works for. Her life changes profoundly when she forms a working and personal relationship with an equally brilliant colleague. But tragedy and a perfidious boss alter her fate again, leading to an unexpected career diversion. Based on Bonnie Garmin’s bestselling book, Brie Larson brings Elizabeth Zott to life, with all her intelligence and awkwardness. Her refusal to compromise her integrity or her values make her a shining light in a crappy world and an outstanding role model and inspiration for her daughter and her contemporaries. The period detail is picture perfect, in a show that does justice to its source material. It is as satisfying and enjoyable as the book.