Many years ago the BBC dramatised The Warden and Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. I watched them, loved them and immediately became a devoted reader of Trollope’s work. So when I had to choose a subject for my CSYS English dissertation I plumped for the first three of the Barsetshire Chronicles, the two titles already mentioned and Doctor Thorne. I took as my theme the way the plots are driven by lack of communication amongst the characters. Maybe because I came to it fresh, without anyone else’s interpretation of it in my mind, Doctor Thorne became, and remains, my favourite of this series. Trollope isn’t easy reading but he’s extremely rewarding and very funny. He’s also a very astute observer of character. If you’re looking for something different to read, I suggest you look no further.

Right from the Prologue of The Last Minute the reader knows that an explosion has taken place on Heathwick High Street. The rest of the novel recounts the events of the minute before the explosion. We are introduced to a diverse selection of people and competing explanations for the coming explosion with a creeping sense of horror for what lies in wait. In a few sentences Eleanor Updale makes us care about the characters’ fate and hope passionately that our favourites will be spared. I found myself willing some of them to move more or less quickly to ensure their survival. This is an outstanding novel for mature readers of any age and adds lustre to Eleanor Updale’s established brilliance.