All it takes is a spark. In her compelling new thriller, Ten Days (Canongate, £14.99), Gillian Slovo tracks the progress of a riot as it spreads across a rundown London estate. When Ruben, a black man of fragile nature, is accidentally killed in a police action, his friends and neighbours gather to protest his needless death. This peaceful demonstration ignites into violence and looting. Resident Cathy Mason and her family are caught up in the dangers of that night and the ones that follow.
Slovo takes the London riots of 2011 as her blueprint, but she moves beyond that, focusing not only on the local people but also on the new Commissioner of Police and the Home Secretary, both of whom are using the riots for their own political ends. Rather brilliantly, she increases the tension further by making one of the rioters an undercover detective, a man totally lost in the guise he has taken on. The novel does not take sides. Each faction has an equal say — black, white, rich, poor, weak, powerful. In remembrance, Ruben’s final walk through the estate is marked by a twisting trail of candles; Slovo offers her own pathway through the darkness.
A personal blog provides the starting point in Chris Brookmyre’s Black Widow (Little, Brown, £18.99). Diana Jager is a successful surgeon and a fervent online campaigner against sexism in the medical profession. When her name and personal details are revealed by a hacker, she suffers abuse, and loses both her job and the respect of her colleagues. Into her newfound loneliness steps Peter, a kind and understanding man who cares little about her past. Within six months they’re married; within six more Peter is dead, and Diana is on trial for murder.
Comments
Join the debate for just £1 a month
Be part of the conversation with other Spectator readers by getting your first three months for £3.
UNLOCK ACCESS Just £1 a monthAlready a subscriber? Log in