These 4 edge-of-your-seat thrillers will keep you entertained this autumn

The Burning Grounds by Abir Mukherjee, Hardback, £18.99

After the success of his multi-award-winning contemporary standalone Hunted, the Godfather of Anglo-Asian crime writing returns to his much-loved Raj-era series. It's been three years since Detective Sam Wyndham and Surendranath Banerjee last worked together before the latter disappeared to Europe. Now Surendranath is back, and not a moment too soon. When the body of a prominent Indian philanthropist is discovered, throat cut, amid the funeral pyres of the burning ghats of Calcutta, the pair must set aside their disagreements. And when a missing photographer is linked to the inquiry, the pressure mounts. Another gloriously brilliant deep dive into the dying days of the British Empire from one of our foremost historical crime writers. 8/10

The Black Wolf by Louise Penny, Hardback, £20

After foiling a domestic terror attack in Montreal, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache is left with the nagging feeling he missed something. Subsequently, Gamache and his team mount a covert investigation which shows the plot was the start of a much more devastating plan that threatens Canada's very future. And for its mastermind, a figure known only as the Black Wolf, to have got this far they must have powerful allies in both the US and Canada, making them almost impossible to stop. The Black Wolf is an electrifying thriller with a scarily plausible plot that should not be missed. As the second part of the author's previous novel The Grey Wolf, it can still be enjoyed as a standalone. 9/10

The Proving Ground by Michael Connelly, Hardback, £22

Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller returns for his eighth outing having enjoyed a Road to Damascus-style conversion in Connelly's previous book, Resurrection Walk, from brash LA defense attorney to public interest litigator. Now he's taking on big-tech with a case upon which literally billions of dollars could rest - suing an AI company whose chatbot encouraged a 16-year-old boy to murder his teenage ex-girlfriend for disloyalty. Meanwhile, LA is struggling with the fallout from the devastating wildfires and Haller's ex-wife, Maggie, has lost everything. Another edge-of-your seat thriller from the world's greatest crime writer, The Proving Ground pits Haller against some of his most cynical opponents yet - the tech bros! Chillingly topical stuff from the master writer. 8/10

The Hawk is Dead by Peter James, Hardback, £22

When the Royal Train is deliberately derailed outside Brighton and the Queen's private secretary killed by a sniper, DS Roy Grace is called upon to solve the murder in a case that takes him and Glenn Branson deep into the heart of Buckingham Palace. But was it an assassination attempt on Her Majesty or something more sinister? Camilla has long been known as an admirer of the series and the crime maestro treats his royal fan and her husband to starring roles in his brilliant new blockbuster. With shades of Freddie Forsyth, the cinematic-style opening sets up one of James' best books to date - a pulse-pounding page-turner with art thieves, hidden surveillance and a chase through the Palace. 9/10