A Disappearing Act, by Jo Dixon

Four artistic friends are reuniting for a relaxing holiday in Tasmania, instigated by the most successful of the group – bestselling author Marnie. The four were housemates 25 years ago, sharing a bohemian warehouse in Melbourne while they established their careers in art, literature and design. The Tassie trip should be a blissful catchup of scattered friends, but there are simmering tensions around finances and long-buried secrets and then one of the four goes missing on a bushwalk. Was it an accident, an escape, or something more sinister? The story alternates between the points of view of designer Sarah in the present day and writer Marnie in 1999, slowly revealing events and consequences, past and current. Unfortunately most of the action is flagged and is based on a highly suspect premise, so there are few surprises and the four women are so unpleasant it is difficult to care. More than one character lierally gets away with murder, so it is ironic that the final word of the book is ‘justice’.

The Hallmarked Man, by Robert Galbraith

This latest Strike novel sees detective agency partner Robin Ellacott suffering PTSD from her last case and Cormoran Strike havering over his newly-acknowledged feeling for her. Neither is in great shape for an investigation into a bizarre murder in a silver shop with Freemasonry links. The body has been identified by police as a crime figure, but their client believes it is her missing boyfriend and wants them to prove it. They discover five potential candidates and attempting to rule them in or out leads the agency into the murky worlds of the SAS, porn films, sex trafficking and, of course, Freemasons. At almost 900 pages this could be a slog, but Galbraith’s fluent style and short sharp chapters keep the action moving swiftly. Nevertheless the seven-year will they-won’t they URST between the two principals has become tediously self indulgent, ending the novel with a cliffhanger it’s hard to care about.

Before the Coffee Goes Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

A basement café in Tokyo provides a refuge of sorts for a variety of regular customers, as well as the three people who work there – Kumi and couple Nagare and Kei. But it is more than this; urban legend says it is possible to go back in time there. There are strict rules and great risks and the experience will not change the present, but many people want to try it. This is an intriguing concept, executed in a series of vignettes that detail each different kind of time travel experience and how it affects the traveller. Deep issues are touched on – dementia, family dysfunction, a dangerous pregnancy, but not explored in any actual depth. It is a slim book, but a slow read, possibly due to the translation; it takes a long time to get a sense of the characters and the shape of the story, which is nevertheless quite predictable.

The Madame Blanc Mysteries - series 1-3, Acorn TV

After her husband’s death in a car crash in the south of France, English antiques dealer Jean White finds their business affairs are a mess and her only remaining asset is their cottage in St Victoire. But Rory’s death may not have been an accident and Jean finds herself stuck in town while she investigates what may turn out to be a serial killer with the help of a local ex-pat taxi driver. Former soap actress Sally Lindsay must have been frustrated at the lack of roles for older women, as she created, wrote and produced this ‘cosy crime’ series. Like its antecedent Death in Paradise, there are rather too many murders for a small town and it is a relief to have a few different crimes thrown in to the mix in series 3 , but the antiques aspect is always interesting. Malta works well as a stand in for the south of France, but there are a suspiciously high number of English expats, especially from Manchester, in the area and while it is refreshing that several older women have feature roles, the lack of young people after series 1 is very noticeable. There is a series 4, which may finally move forward with the annoyingly unresolved relationship between Jean and her taxi driver, but may also prove to be flogging a dead horse.