Joan's picks: Absolute Power and The Search Party

Absolute Power by David Baldacci. This was his first novel, originally published many years ago – and he’s gone on to have quite the career since with a string of great bestsellers, but I always thought the premise of this one was terrific. A burglar gets trapped inside a wardrobe in the bedroom of one of the world’s richest men and witnesses two Secret Service agents killing the billionaire’s wife as she tries to fight off the advances of the country’s President. He manages to get out of there but on the way picks up a blood stained letter opener that puts the President at the scene of the crime, and as a result becomes the target of a manhunt as the Secret Service are desperate to find him and take him out.

The Search Party by Hannah Richell. A London couple and their twelve year old son leave the rat race and start up a glamping business in Cornwall. Before the business officially opens they invite some old friends and their families to come and stay and try it out, but things go horribly wrong and when an atrocious storm arrives they’re completely cut off and one of the group disappears. It’s told through a couple of timelines – the friends’ reunion and the initial stay at the site; and a second one which covers off the police investigation into what went wrong – and things really did go wrong, spectacularly. It’s one of those books where people have secrets which come to light, and there are twists and turns that keep you guessing. Great summer escapism.

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