Death in Summer by William Trevor (Penguin, £6.99 in UK)

The sudden death of Thaddeus Davenant's wife leaves him with a problem: child-care for his baby daughter, Georgina. A flurry of would-be nannies having being despatched as unsuitable, his elderly mother-in-law moves in and takes over (it never occurs to Thaddeus for a second that he might do it himself). But from outside the elegant garden - from another world, in fact, a world of misery and deprivation - someone is watching the baby and waiting for the right moment. The clarity of William Trevor's short stories shines like a beacon from this devastatingly perfect little book: his characters are pinned, squirming, to the page with a ruthless exactitude which moves beyond judgment or sympathy - once in your head, they never leave. A masterful performance.