Four new books to read this week

The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith, hardback, £30 (ebook £17.99)

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Investigating four murders should be enough to keep Cormoran Strike busy, but in the eighth Strike novel, written by JK Rowling under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith, the private detective also has to tackle his affection for business partner Robin Ellacott - who is set to move in with her policeman boyfriend.

Strike's struggle to decide whether to express his love for her or not dominates the story just as much as the murder investigations, which are sparked when a corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop in the City of London.

Police believe the body is that of armed robber Jason Knowles, but one woman is convinced he is actually the father of her newborn baby. 7/10

The Secret Of Secrets

by Dan Brown, hardback, £25 (ebook £12.99)