Divided loyalties

HISTORY master Bernard Cornwell has taken us to the Napoleonic Wars, Stonehenge, the legendary time of King Arthur and medieval France. Now he has turned his attention to an era about which York knows a great deal - the time of the Vikings.

The Pale Horseman (HarperCollins, £17.99) is the compelling sequel to the bestselling the Last Kingdom. It's the story of Uhtred, born in Northumbria, raised a Viking and now married to a Saxon. Although, only 20 he is already a formidable figure and warrior.

When Wessex (and the rest of England) falls to the Danes, Uhtred becomes King Alfred's bodyguard.

With nowhere to go, Uhtred, the king and a few followers, retreat to the marshlands of Somerset. They seek refuge in Athelney, a tidal swamp to which Alfred's kingdom has shrunk.

But Uhtred has a dilemma. He finds himself torn between joining his Danish foster brother, Earl Ragnar, and the winning Vikings, and staying with his king, Alfred, who he despises.

It's a powerful story of divided loyalties, heroism bloody battles and burned cakes.

I've lost count of how many books James Patterson has released this year, but his latest, Mary, Mary (Headline, £17.99) is by far his best. It sees the welcome return of Patterson's much-loved psychologist Alex Cross, now an FBI agent.

Cross is on holiday in Disneyland with his family when he gets a call that someone is murdering Hollywood celebrities.

A well-known actress has been shot outside her home in Beverly Hills. Shortly afterwards, an editor for the Los Angeles Times receives an e-mail recounting the murder in shocking detail, signed Mary Smith. More killings follow, with emails immediately after. Is this the plan of an obsessed fan or a spurned actor, or is it part of something much more sinister?

Patterson's trademark short, punchy chapters, move the story along at breakneck speed. Highly recommended.

Neil Gaiman's Anansi Boys (Review, £17.99) is a weird, wonderful and wickedly funny book, with shades of Nick Hornby and Clive Barker.

It's the story of Fat Charlie Nancy, whose life is spinning out of control, and it's all his dad's fault. If his estranged father had not dropped dead at a karaoke night, Charlie (who's not really fat) would still be blissfully unaware that his dad was Anansi the spider god. He would have no idea that he has a brother called Spider, who is also a god, and there would be no chance that said brother would be trying to take over his life, flat and fiance.

Desperate to reclaim his life, Charlie enlists the help of four eccentric old ladies and their unique brand of voodoo - and between them they unleash a bitter and twisted force to get rid of Spider.

Since he "got away" from the Iraqis in the 1990 Gulf War, former SAS man Chris Ryan has been a busy boy. He's written dozens of thrillers, children's books and fitness manuals - all with a military flavour. In Blackout (Century, £17.99), three cities in the world have had major power cuts. They are believed to be the work of terrorists and the usual agencies are put on red alert for an attack.

SAS soldier Josh Harding is on secondment to MI6's anti-terrorism unit and, in the wake of the mysterious power cuts, he finds himself on the way to the USA, on the trail of a pair on intrepid young hackers.

Soon Josh finds himself waking up in a ditch wounded, with no memory. His determination to discover who he is, and what he was doing there leads him into a web of blackmail, deceit and greed.

To be fair, Blackout is not going to tax the old grey matter too much, or win any literary prizes, but it's still an enjoyable read.

When I was a teenager Jack Higgins was one of my favourite authors. The Eagle Has Landed, Storm Warning, A Prayer For The Dying, Night Of The Fox - all boys' own classics.

But over past decade, Higgins' thrillers, most featuring former IRA enforcer turned British intelligence officer Sean Dillon, have become tedious.

His latest, Without Mercy (HarperCollins, £17.99), is no different. It sees the British Prime Minister's private army at war with Russian warlords and renegade spies.

One of the British team, Detective Superintendent Hannah Bernstein, of Special Branch, is recuperating in hospital after being shot.

Dillon, along with his sidekick Billy Slater, is determined to catch those responsible and so a game of cat and mouse across Europe and North Africa ensues. It's highly predictable stuff.

Come on Jack, you can do better than this.

Essex girl Martina Cole pulls no punches. Her tough, gritty, no-holds-barred gangster novels have seen her acquire an ever-growing army of fans.

Her latest, The Take (Headline, £17.99), revolves around Freddie Jackson, who has just been released from prison. He thinks he's the Essex equivalent of the Godfather, and he's going to make sure everyone knows it.

He's done his time, made the right connections, and now he's ready to use them.

His long-suffering wife, Jackie, just wants her husband home, to be with their three kids.

But she's forgotten the rows, the violence and the girls Freddie can't leave alone. Bitter, resentful and increasingly unstable, Jackie watches her life crumble.

A terrific read. Cole makes Lynda La Plante look like Enid Blyton.

Updated: 16:35 Friday, October 28, 2005