King Of The Badgers by Philip Hensher (Fourth Estate)

IN a quiet picturesque seaside down in Devon, an eight year old girl disappears and the media hordes swoop westwards looking for a sensational headline or two.

But King Of The Badgers is not a crime thriller, not a whodunnit, instead the author lifts the lid on middle class respectability and carries out a forensic investigation into what lies below the surface.

The London Train by Tessa Hadley (Vintage Books) 

HAVE you ever been on a train and wondered what was the purpose of your fellow travellers' journey?   Tessa Hadley's intricate tale The London Train delves into the lives of two people, Paul and Cora, who travel between London and Cardiff.