Warm up to the plot

Crime fiction, Italian meals, Austen's life... Here's what to read when hot days roll in

- SEEMA GOSWAMI

It's that time of the year again. The summer holidays are finally upon us. And that means it's time for my annual ritual of sharing my summer reading list with you. Here, in no particular order, are some books that I have enjoyed over the last few months — and which you might like as well.

Marble Hall Murders, by Anthony Horowitz

I have been a fan of the Atticus Pünd novels and Horowitz's ability to tell a story within a story without confusing the hell out of his readers. This, the latest in the series, is set in London and the South of France, and revolves around the death of a matriarch written by a disturbed writer who may be cannibalising the story of his own famous family for the plot. Horowitz has made the cosy crime genre his own — and this may be his best effort yet.

When The Going Was Good, by Graydon Carter