As autumn nights draw in, four new hardbacks offer a rich mix of military history, social comedy, royal memoir, and crime fiction. Max Hastings delivers a magisterial account of Germany's final collapse, Kate Atkinson turns the Festival of Britain into a comic crime caper, Charles Spencer revisits his sister's legacy, and Chris Hammer shifts from Outback noir to high-finance revenge.
Plunder: The Brutal End of the War in Europe
Max Hastings's Plunder (£25, William Collins) argues that the Western Allies did not escape lightly in the closing months of the European war. The bloodiest battles were on the Eastern Front, where four out of five Germans killed died fighting the Russians, but the final push into Germany was among the most brutal for the West too.
Hastings contends that Roosevelt's insistence on unconditional surrender cost lives, leaving many Germans with nothing to lose by fighting on. The Grand Alliance had begun to falter, and the egotism of commanders like Montgomery and Patton spilled needless blood. The reviewer calls Hastings "our greatest living chronicler of the Second World War" and rates the book 8/10.
Our Noble Selves: A Festival of Britain Romp
Kate Atkinson's Our Noble Selves (£22, Transworld) blends social history, crime, and comedy. Set in the summer of 1951, it follows war correspondent Harry Flynn, broken by captivity in the Far East, who seeks redemption among the chancers and loners organising the Festival of Britain.
When a date goes missing and Harry comes under suspicion of her murder, he must clear his name with only a stroppy 13-year-old and an elderly dog for help. The reviewer praises its "endearing characters, a plot that zips along and some charming period detail," awarding 9/10.
Swan Song: A Brother's Tribute to Diana
Charles Spencer's Swan Song: Diana, My Sister (£28, Penguin) arrives ahead of the 30th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. Spencer says he wrote it to correct misconceptions about his sister, though the account has been caught up in a Palace row over who said what after the tragedy.
The reviewer notes some claims are "unseemly," but overall it is "a fresh and moving portrait" and "a heartfelt account." Spencer's funeral eulogy made waves, and this feels like an overdue follow-up. The book scores 8/10.
Full Circle: Succession on Steroids
Chris Hammer's Full Circle (£20, Headline) is his first standalone, moving from Outback noir to a tale of financial revenge. Former undercover cop Travis Somerland, beaten and exposed after a financial investigation went wrong, now drives for hedge fund billionaire Felix Clapton.
Clapton plots to destroy the Murtrie dynasty, the family Travis had been investigating, by shorting their stock. The plan succeeds, but Travis is caught in the fallout and compelled to take the fall for the deaths of two of Clapton's employees from poisoned cocaine. The reviewer calls it "Succession on steroids" and "a gripping story of rivalry and revenge spanning generations," rating it 9/10.
