The Debt to Pleasures by John Lancaster (Picador, £5.99 in UK)

Tarquin Winot is the perfect antihero for the cappucino classes: erudite, elegant, entirely self obsessed, irredeemably insane and - and here is the stroke of genius a foodie of the highest order. With its hilarious blend of the sinister and the cynical, John Lanchester's debut novel looks certain to become a cult of sorts, and if Tarquin doesn't give you apoplexy and the recipes don't give you indigestion, it's a highly entertaining read.