Chris Bissette

I have hugely misjudged Iris Murdoch.

A Trade of Blood is the third book in Robert Jackson Bennett's Ana and Din series, and I think it's my favourite one yet, which is saying something because I loved both The Tainted Cup and A Drop of Corruption.

There are some books that you read and love and want to press into people's hands, and then you get to the end and realise you have absolutely no idea how to talk about them.

This is what AIDS is after all, isn't it?

I received a digital proof of this from NetGalley, courtesy of the folks at Random House and Vintage, so thank you to them for that.

The Shadow of the Object by Chloe Aridjis is the tenth book I've read from this year's Booker Prize longlist, and at this point I don't think I can talk about any of these books in isolation any more.

I almost didn't want to write this review.

Something that's struck me about a few of the books on this year's Booker Prize longlist is how they feel plucked out of a different era of fiction entirely.

I'm not going to bury the lede here - I've just read my favourite book of the year so far.

I will not be surprised if Black Bag wins the Booker Prize this year.