The Sculptress, by Minette Walters (Pan, £5,99 in UK)

Murderess most horrible, that's Olive Martin - who, having made lamb cutlets of her mother and sister and a mess of the kitchen, agrees to give a series of interviews to a journalist who is researching a book she doesn't really want to write for a publisher who wants to drop her off his list. Though it's not as clever a thriller as Thomas Harris's The Silence of The Lambs, The Sculptress creates and sustains a highly sinister atmosphere that's heavy on twists, turns and macabre detail. Though if you re watching the telly dramatisation, currently showing on BBC on Saturday nights, you'll know all that already.