The Drowning Place by Sarah Hilary (Harvill £16.99, 320pp)

Haunted by being the only survivor of a school coach crash in the Peak District 17 years ago, Joe Ashe joined the police in an attempt to cope with guilt at being alive, but still sees his dead school friend Sammi as a ghost by his side.

Enter a new boss, transferred DI Laurie Bower, who has moved to Salford to help her husband cope with a demented father. Together, Ashe and Bower are confronted by the shocking murder of a husband and wife – along with their baby son – in an isolated cottage on the moors.

That sort of thing never happens in the small town of Edenscar, but the pair plough on to discover the town conceals many hidden secrets. Told with depth, warmth and humanity, this is Ann Cleeves territory, and Hilary displays every bit as much style and insight.

The Ending Writes Itself by Evelyn Clarke (HQ £16.99, 352pp)

Arthur Fletch, one of the most famous writers – think Stephen King – in the world invites seven, less successful, authors to finish the fifth novel in his bestselling crime series, for the sum of one million dollars. The problem is that they have to compete with each other to win.

The group meet at Fletch’s isolated island castle off the coast of Scotland, but when they arrive they discover that the famous writer died while out swimming a month earlier, and they have to satisfy both his editor and his renowned agent.

So begins this clever, and engaging, debut from author V. E. Schwab and screenwriter Cat Clark, writing together for the first time. Inevitably, there is a murder, but who did it and why? A locked room mystery and a brutal look at publishing, it’s great fun.

A Twist in the River by Stig Abell (Hemlock Press £16.99, 352pp)

This fourth story featuring retired detective Jake Jackson, who came to a country idyll to find peace – and became a bit of a hippy in the process – confirms what an interesting character he is. Gentle, retiring, seldom belligerent, the exact opposite of a lonely city DI living a sad life.

Yet, on a beautiful summer’s day, a middle-aged nurse goes for a run in his village and disappears beside a local river, leaving her phone and shoes. The local community is horrified and a search is launched. The nurse’s husband appeals to ex-cop Jackson for help. Then another, younger, woman’s naked body is recovered from the river and the mystery deepens.

Jackson is dragged into the investigation, while trying to preserve his new relationship with a pregnant partner. This is a charming, well-told story with heart.