The Reader: Matthew Cowdery Middle East Sales Manager, Hachette UK Ltd

The Review: The House of Rumour by Jake Arnott

This sixth novel by an author usually associated with literary crime is a departure into speculative fiction and alternative history. A fabulously fascinating maze of interlocking stories that had me googling threads of background late into the night this is Arnott's most ambitious novel and bears comparison with David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas.

Rating: Read it but be prepared to have your assumptions about 20th century history turned upside down.