Sensuously detailed . . . edgy . . . this is incrementally more and more riveting, as the joyless sex between the two central characters leads to a grim conclusion . . . a nonpareil new translation

When I discovered that the author of the Maigret series was also the author of stand-alone novels, my expectations of the genre changed and expanded. These books belonged more alongside Camus and Sartre than Arthur Conan Doyle. . . . Try The Widow, published, like The Outsider, in 1942, and at least equal to Camus's work in portraying a doomed and alienated life

Dark, disturbing . . . Simenon discovered something fundamental about the soul

Direct, spare, sensously atmospheric, hypnotic in its realism, and honest in a way that few novelists would dare to be

To me, Simenon is as good as Camus

Irresistible . . . read him at your peril, avoid him at your loss

Every year, Simenon would rage at the “idiots of Stockholm” who yet again had refused him the Nobel Prize in literature. I used to think this was crazy; now I think it quite sane. His romans durs are spare and harsh, with a deep understanding of human nature; this is one of his finest

The genius of Simenon, aided by a brilliant translation, compels the eye and captures the heart.

A welcome new translation of a key Simenon standalone. With its sensuously detailed rustic setting and edgy interactions between a widow managing her own farm and the dissolute, privileged ex-convict Jean, this is quietly hypnotic fare

A fine debut - fast-paced and bleak, with a vivid setting and gut-wrenching twists

A vivid and noirish tale of an Englishman abroad discovering that you can run from everything but yourself. James Buckler is one to watch.

The vivid setting and skilfully plotted story is compelling and hard to put down.

[An] impressive first thriller . . . the action is fast, copious and often unexpected.

Act Of Oblivion offers a resonant history of both England and America as they struggle to forge a myth of nationhood out of opposing ideologies

The joy is in the vivid re-creation of 17th Century England and America and in the sly parallels with today that Harris teases out

He has taken a truly extraordinary factual tale and turned it into a fun fictional version, with pace throughout, and a crowd-pleasing finale

A masterclass in storytelling, so enthralling that if you'd disembowelled me whilst I was reading this book I doubt I'd have noticed!

A tale that grips from start to finish. It's a remarkable achievement

Master storyteller Robert Harris has forged history anew, melding fact and fiction

Harris spins an exciting tale which I hope will leave you hungry for more

If you like your page-turning popular fiction at the more intelligent end of the spectrum, you could not do better than this.

A gripping thriller

A gripping revenger's tale... This is by far Harris's best book since An Officer and a Spy, which dealt with another great national division: the Dreyfus case. He has produced a ripping page-turner that breathes all the complexities and moral nuances of the Civil War period

Lucid and full of suspense

A thrilling page-turner based on real events . . . packed with rich and fascinating historical detail

In his new thriller, Robert Harris wrests [a] fascinating period back from its unjust oblivion, showing how closely its complex landscape of constitutional crises and Puritan politics played out in new unregulated media resonates with us today

Harris, deft as ever, weaves a hefty amount of historical fact into the narrative, politics, religion, colonial life, family ties - as well as themes of forgiveness and reconciliation. Underneath it all though is the remorseless and building propulsion of hunter and prey

A drama so involving and nerve-wracking, you can barely turn the pages fast enough. Historic!

Another fantastic piece of historical fiction from Robert Harris, immaculately researched and utterly believable

A gripping thriller and a timely reminder of the dangers of a deeply divided and intolerant society

The book excels in its stunning recreation of the landscape of America... Harris proves himself to be masterful at this and it gives the book a vibrant memorability

Few writers combine history, politics and excitement of a thriller as enthrallingly as Robert Harris does.

What Harris does here is nothing short of masterful.

Harris displays an impressive grasp of the historical context without taxing his readers by showing his 'workings'.

Based on real and fascinating history, this is Robert Harris's best since An Officer and a Spy

Pacy and tense, and the pungently evoked past offers up some shrewd present-day parallels

An absolutely stunning historical novel and a ripping crime thriller at the same time. I've been recommending it far and wide and buying it for people for Christmas!

The best historical fiction combines a gripping plot with meticulous research - leaving the reader inspired to learn more about the real-life protagonists. And the latest release from Robert Harris once more proves his mastery of the genre

I loved Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris, which achieves the astonishing feat of taking 17th-century events and people and telling their stories in 21st-century language without a single seam showing

Thrilling

This is a novel that asks big historical questions. You could read it as a pure thriller, and it is one of Harris's most compellingly paced to date. You could read it as a piece of intelligent historical immersion. I think it is more; I think it is his best novel since Fatherland.

It's a belter.

If only all historical thrillers could be this entertaining.

In this tense and beautifully written account of the ensuing manhunt, Harris brings sympathy to characters on either side of the civil war that divided a nation.

A brainy, compulsive page-turner.

A violent, gripping, globetrotting chase thriller

He’s my go-to person that I know will keep me entertained

[A] rich, propulsive novel